A Montreal Excursion
by SelfProclaimedFangirlKate
Summary: COMPLETE! A follow-up to "A Serendipitous Encounter." Nearly three months after a brief meeting during New England Comic-Con and its whirlwind weekend, actress Regina Mills and dancer Emma Swan spend a week together at Regina's home in Montreal to see what is in store for their new relationship. (Mostly SQ Fluff with some drama). Part two of three in this verse/series.
1. Chapter 1: Arrivals

**A/N:** Welcome back! This is a sequel to my story _A Serendipitous Encounter_ , so if you haven't read that yet, you really should or else this won't make sense :). You can find that story by clicking my FF username (the original story is not long – you could totally binge it in a day if you were motivated enough). A lot of reviewers asked for the story to continue, so as promised, here it is! This will focus on the short trip Emma takes to visit Regina while they're both on break from their respective lives.

This story won't be long – probably one or two chapters per day of the vacation. The first day is split into three chapters because I needed to lay the groundwork for the rest, but then it will move quickly. This will mostly be SQ fluff galore, especially after the first two chapters, but there will be some hurdles to face to keep it interesting. Robin will only appear in the chapters covering the first day, and then he is shipped off on a trip with his sons. (But rest assured, he's not a villain or foil to SQ happiness, as we learned in the original story. He may be the biggest SQ shipper of them all.).

Also, just a reminder that this is entirely fictional.

This will be updated every 1-2 weeks, as my PhD semester is about to start and dissertation life is about to get real, so I should probably prioritize writing that. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter One - Arrivals**

 ** _Day One: Morning of August 21, 10:58am_**

Emma shifted in her seat with excitement as the plane began taxiing toward the gate. She took out her phone, eager to switch off 'airplane mode' so she could let Regina know she landed. Despite Emma's protests that she could easily call a cab, Regina had insisted that she would pick her up from the airport. She sent a quick text to the woman she had crossed country borders to visit and then looked out her window to see what little she could of Montréal from the plane's small window. She felt her phone vibrate in her hand and looked down at the message from Regina: _I'm glad you made it safely! I'll see you soon. Xoxo._ Emma tried to hide her blushing cheeks as the flight attendant collected the airline blanket from the man sleeping in the seat next to her.

Gathering her bags, Emma retied the red flannel shirt she had wrapped around her waist in case the plane was cold before making her way toward the door. She smiled politely at the cabin crew and thanked the pilots as she exited the aircraft and walked down the jetbridge toward the gate. Upon entering the airport, Emma barely registered the quiet "bonjour" from the gate agent as her eyes widened in surprise to see a petite brunette holding two Starbucks cups. "Miss me?" Regina asked with a smirk as she approached Emma, pulling the blonde out of the way of her fellow passengers who were still trying to deplane. Regina wrapped an arm around her. "Don't worry, I'll give you a proper welcome when we have some privacy," she whispered into Emma's ear as she hugged her.

Emma tried not to blush, conscious of the fact that they were standing in the middle of a crowded airport. "Yes of course I missed you, but what are you doing here? How are you here?" Emma was bewildered, not understanding how the brunette could be standing in front of her without having a ticket of her own. Gone were the days of picking your girlfriend up at the gate – baggage claim was as close as you could get.

"I was supposed to fly home yesterday morning, but we had to reshoot a few scenes before the break so I had to delay my flight. I ended up on a 5am flight this morning and figured it would be silly for me to go home and then turn right around to come back to get you, so I hung out here," Regina explained with a shrug. "Here, this is for you. Americano, extra shot," she said, handing Emma one of the coffee cups.

"You remembered," Emma smiled, thinking back to their first meeting at Starbucks when Regina had cut in front of Emma in line and offered to buy her a coffee of her choice.

"Of course I did…it's the same thing I always get," she teased, nudging the blonde with her shoulder. She then eyed the small rolling suitcase at her feet and the cognac leather tote the blonde carried on her shoulder. "Do you need to go to baggage claim?"

Emma shook her head. "Nope, this is it."

Regina looked impressed. "Really?"

Emma nodded. "After touring with the ballet company for years, I became an expert packer. There's nothing worse than losing luggage internationally, so I never checked baggage if I could avoid it. The habit seems to have stuck."

"Smart."

"What about you? You didn't leave your luggage on the carousels for the past two hours while you waited for me, did you?"

Regina laughed. "No. This is all I brought," she said, gesturing to her black leather backpack. "I keep a lot of clothes at our place here, so I just need to bring the essentials."

"Oh, duh. Of course."

Regina laughed, but was interrupted by a fan asking for a selfie. She generously agreed to the preteen girl's request, followed by two more when they saw the first photo being taken. "Ready to head down?" She asked when she was done taking pictures.

"Yeah. Does that happen a lot?" She asked as they started walking down the concourse.

"I wouldn't say a lot…I'm no Meryl Streep, but it isn't uncommon. It happens more here since fans know I have a place in Montreal, and quite frequently when I travel around major events – award shows, Comic-Con, and the like. Fans know I'll be traveling so they're more likely to be looking for me. This morning hasn't been too bad since I spent most of it in one of the first-class lounges. Most of those guys had no idea who I am, but a few girls who had been on my flight caught me before I could escape." Emma laughed at Regina's explanation before taking a sip of her coffee. "Oh, just a head's up, Robin is picking us up," Regina said as they made their way down the terminal and toward the corridor that would lead them to the airport's main entrance.

"Oh, okay," Emma shrugged. "How is he?" Emma genuinely liked the guy. He appeared to look out for Regina's interests and seemed to be quite a character himself. A few weeks previously Robin had made an appearance in Halifax to be Regina's date for a party the studio was throwing to publicize _Frozen Mirror's_ upcoming eighth season. He had stayed a few days and visited set, during which Emma and Regina had a few Facetime conversations. On more than one occasion Regina had to step out to handle something quickly on set, so Emma and Robin had the chance to chat on their own for a bit. Of course, he had also given Regina her privacy so they could talk without his constant lingering presence.

"He's doing well. He's excited for the camping trip tomorrow. He always complains about having to sleep on the ground, but I think he secretly likes it…but, I just wanted to give you a head's up that since he'll be meeting us out front and this is a public place, he and I will have to slip into our roles," she said, frowning a bit.

"Regina, it's fine. Stop apologizing for that. You're going to drive yourself crazy."

Regina sent Emma a grateful smile, but before she had time to reply they were interrupted by a familiar voice approaching them from the side. "Well, if it isn't Miss Swan. Why am I not surprised to see you?"

"Are you serious right now?" Regina mumbled under her breath as she rolled her eyes and stopped walking, turning to face the man barging into a conversation where he was not wanted. "What the fuck are you doing here, Gold?"

"You know I have property here, Regina. You can't honestly be stunned to know that I might also enjoy the short break we have from filming to have a little staycation at my main home? In fact, I believe I informed the cast that I'm having a small interview with one of the Montréal entertainment news shows at my home in a few days."

She took a breath, resisting the urge to grab his cane and smash it into his skull. "I could do without the condescension, Gold. I meant, why are you here in the airport?"

"Oh, that. Well, I too had to take a later flight since I stayed late reviewing the reshot footage last night. I only just got in myself, and you can imagine how surprised I was to see photos of you that were just taken here pop up in my notifications as soon as I turned my phone back on. I could have sworn you were on the first flight this morning, and I would have thought you would be at home catching up with your beloved husband by now. But instead, you are still here…and with Miss Swan, who seems to have brought some luggage of her own. How nice."

Regina rolled her eyes yet again. Robert Gold had reminded his cast multiple times over the past few weeks that he had alerts set up to track the show's and its cast's mentions and hashtags during the pre-season premiere promotional period. Ingrid Snow, the show's other female lead and the other half of a very popular, but non-canon, ship on the show had recently caused trouble for the producers when she was seen leaving a notable lesbian club on a recent weekend trip to New York City. Despite the fact that she had made it abundantly clear that she was there for her childhood best friend's bachelorette party, Gold and the other executive producer of the show had to calm down the network. To the best of Regina's knowledge, Ingrid wasn't into women and it truly had been a friend's innocent celebration. But, the fallout had set Regina on edge. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and quickly glanced down at it, sighing in relief. Robin had texted that he was out front. "Yes, well, this has been lovely, but my husband is waiting for us, so if you'll excuse me…" she pushed past Gold, muttering an apology to Emma as they walked away.

"God, that guy is relentless," Emma commented.

"I know. But after the Ingrid incident, I can't really blame him. Some of the advertisers apparently threatened to pull out of their contracts since we're in a prime time family hour slot…I guess they didn't like that a lead on the show was partaking in 'immoral' behaviors. The network got scared and Gold was left to deal with the fallout."

"Yeah I read about her 'lesbian binge weekend' online. It's unbelievable that it should even be an issue these days."

"And yet it is."

 ***.*.***

Regina led Emma toward a set of automatic doors out front, immediately spotting Robin's black Range Rover parked with its hazard light flashing behind a few cabs. "C'mon, over here," she said to Emma pointing toward the vehicle and trying to avoid the few photographers that were standing by, hoping to snap a picture.

Robin quickly got out of the car when he saw the women approach and pulled Regina into his arms, kissing her lips sweetly as he did so. Emma could hear the shutters of the cameras nearby, so she tried to look genuinely happy in case she was visible in any of the photographs. The last thing she wanted was to cause any trouble for Regina. After giving his wife one more quick peck, he gave Emma a hug. "It's good to see you, Emma. I'm sorry about that," he said to her quietly during their brief embrace.

She laughed and told him it was fine. He then grabbed Emma's suitcase for her, placing it in the rear hatch of the SUV before closing it with a thud. "Such a gentleman," she teased. He smiled as he opened the back door for Emma, and she crawled inside.

Robin then opened the passenger side door for Regina, who gave him a kiss on the cheek before she waved to a paparazzo who was clearly filming them and hopped in. Robin hurried back to the driver's seat and pulled out of the drop-off lane as soon as there was a break in traffic. "Is anyone following us?" He asked as he maneuvered toward the airport exit.

Regina checked out her window. "No, I don't think so. I think they're probably waiting for whoever else might be coming out of the airport. Rumor has it Celine Dion is coming into town, so I think she probably takes precedence over anyone else," Regina chuckled. As Robin stopped at the red light at the end of the road leading away from the airport, Regina unbuckled her seatbelt and carefully crawled between the front seats and into the back, placing herself next to Emma. "Hey," she smiled as she looked over at the blonde who was laughing after watching her less than graceful maneuver.

"Hey yourself."

Regina leaned in, giving Emma a quick, soft kiss and reaching for Emma's hand, intertwining their fingers as she brought it to rest in her lap. "I've wanted to do that since I saw you get off the plane." Emma smiled in response as Regina toyed with her fingers. "So, is there anything in particular you want to do while you're here? This is your first time in town, isn't it?"

Emma nodded. "It is. I've always wanted to come here, but never had the chance to. I don't really know about specific places to go, but I'd love to see the French Quarter and see if I remember any of the French I took in high school."

"Vraiment? Parlez-vous francais?"

Emma dropped her jaw. Regina's accent was flawless…and incredibly sexy. "Ouais…un peu."

Regina grinned. "Cela pourrait très amusant."

"Wait, what?" Emma looked at the brunette, confusion written across her face.

Regina laughed. "I said 'this could be very fun.' We'll work on your French while you're here, dear."

"When did you learn how to speak French? That was impressive…and kinda hot."

"I took it in high school, and then took a class when I first moved here to brush up on it. Mostly, though, I picked up a lot of it just by living here the past seven years. Robin and both boys are completely fluent. Half the reason I made the effort to learn was so I would know what they're saying when they slip into bilingual conversations without any warning."

Robin laughed from the front seat, unable to help overhearing their conversation. "We've gotten better about doing that. It's less fun anyway now that you know what we're talking about. It used to be a great way to talk about you without you knowing."

"Hun, even if I didn't know exactly what you were saying, I always knew you were talking about me." She turned her attention back to Emma. "It comes back quickly. I bet you'll be having conversations before the week is over."

"I don't know about full-on conversations. We toured France for two weeks my last year in the ballet company and I barely understood anything that was said."

Regina nodded. ". I struggled with understanding people in Paris when I went, but I've been fine for the most part in Québec. I think it's easier here – most people speak both English and French fluently, so I think the French is easier to understand for a non-native speaker. But anyway, besides the French Quarter, is there anywhere else you want to go or anything you want to do?"

Emma shrugged. "Montréal has a great dance community, so I'd love to take a class or two while I'm here. But mainly I'd like to see your favorite places. I tend to prefer the local hangouts rather than the big tourist attractions when I visit a new place. I assume that's probably better anyway if we need to keep a low profile. Honestly, I just want to spend time with you, so I don't care where we go or what we do," she said, squeezing Regina's hand that still rested in the brunette's lap.

"That can definitely be arranged." She leaned in for another kiss when she heard Robin clear his throat, breaking them apart.

"I hate to interrupt this adorable lovefest, but we're home," he said.

Regina playfully glared at him as she saw him smirking in the rearview mirror. "Come on, let's get you settled in," she said, tugging on Emma's hand.

 ***.*.***

Regina helped Emma out of the SUV in the parking garage and led her inside toward the lobby while Robin grabbed Emma's suitcase. Stepping inside a large marble elevator, Robin inserted his key and pressed the button for 11A, one of two penthouse units in the mid-rise condo building. "Oh wow, this is gorgeous," Emma said as she exited the elevator directly into the apartment. The foyer had dark wood floors, and the walls were a crisp white and filled with art. Emma took in the gallery as she was led down the hall to the open living space. The kitchen had modern white cabinets and quartz counters, which contrasted with the stainless steel appliances and the dark floors that continued throughout the space. It looked like something out of the pages of a Scandinavian issue of _Architectural Digest_ , yet despite the harsh color palette, it was inviting.

"Please, make yourself at home," Regina said as she dropped her backpack on the long slab table in the dining space before plopping down on the sofa.

"Can I get you anything to eat or drink, Emma?" Robin asked her as he poured himself a glass of water.

"No thanks. I'm fine for now." she said, joining Regina on the couch. "So, where are the boys?" she asked, expecting that they would have rushed to greet their mother at the door.

"They have their last day of summer camp today. They'll be back this afternoon," Regina said. She looked up at Robin who had joined them in the living room, thanking him as he handed her a can of La Croix before he sat down in one of the leather accent chairs. "Before you get too comfortable and the jet lag sets in, do you want a tour so you know where everything is?" Regina offered.

"Sure, that would be great."

Regina stood up and extended her hand to Emma, who graciously accepted it and allowed the older woman to pull her up. "We'll be back," Regina said to Robin, setting her drink down on the end table and lightly patting his shoulder as they walked by his chair.

"Take your time!"

Regina led Emma down the hallway, pointing out a small powder room near the living room. Further down the hall were the two boys' rooms, which were connected to each other by a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. "That way, they don't make a mess in the bathroom guests use when we have visitors," Regina commented. She poked her head into their rooms and gasped in surprise. "I was expecting it to be a mess, but this is actually much better than it usually is," she said. Emma noted that Henry's room was X-Men themed, while Roland was going through a Robin Hood phase and had walls covered in forest murals, complete with a nerf archery set attached to the wall. Across from the boys' rooms was a small library, which Regina explained she and Robin shared. "I come in here when I need to prep for an audition or a quiet place to review lines, and the boys know not to bother me unless it's an emergency. Robin mostly uses it to store backup copies of his business documents in that file cabinet, and he occasionally comes in here to practice guitar if he doesn't want us to hear him. It's not soundproof, but it's at least a little more private than the rest of the condo."

"Do you play at all?" Emma asked, eyeing the vintage Gibson acoustic guitar hanging on the wall near the door where they were standing.

"Mmhmm. A little. Not particularly well, but I can pluck out a few chords well enough to play along with most songs. Do you play anything?"

Emma nodded. "I never took lessons, but I can play piano a bit. And a friend tried to teach me guitar a few summers ago when we were counselors for a summer dance intensive, but that didn't go particularly well. I wish I could play."

Regina smiled. "Well, that's one more thing we can work on while you're here, if you want to."

"That could be fun," Emma grinned.

Regina led her a little farther down the hallway to a corner bedroom. "This is the guest room, and there's a full bath just across the hall stocked with towels and whatever toiletries you might need. You can stay here tonight, and then after the boys are gone you can either stay here or stay with me upstairs…whatever you're comfortable with. Like I said, no pressure."

Emma laughed and took a step closer to the woman, gently running her fingers along the underside of Regina's forearms before taking both of the woman's hands in hers. "Regina, you're rambling."

Regina chuckled and took a breath. "I know. I just don't want to make you feel like I'm expecting you to sleep in my bed…because I'm not."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Need I remind you that you slept in my bed after like six hours of actual conversation, and then I stayed with you in your hotel room the following night? It's not a big deal. To be quite honest, I slept better those two nights than I have in a long time."

Regina smiled. "Good. Me, too. But I'm serious…I don't want you to feel rushed into anything. Nothing has to happen this week."

Emma smiled and pulled Regina closer, stealing a light, chaste kiss from her lips before speaking. "I know. You don't have to keep reassuring me. And honestly, I kind of get the sense that you're trying to reassure yourself." She gently squeezed the hands she still held in her own.

Regina's eyes flickered down to the ground before looking back up at Emma. "Yeah…I'm still nervous about this whole thing. It's been such a long time since I have been in any sort of real relationship or felt anything like this toward someone. I don't really remember how this works."

"I'm right there with you. So, now let me be the one to assure you – nothing has to happen this week that either of us is not ready for. We'll take this at our own pace and let whatever happens happen naturally. I have no expectations other than getting to spend time with you and getting to know you better."

"Okay." Regina smiled and this time was the one to lean in and sneak a kiss before walking back out of the room.

Emma immediately followed. "Did you say there was an upstairs in this place?"

"I did. Follow me." Regina walked back through the living room and around a corner, behind the giant two-sided fireplace that separated the living room from the dining space. There was a small hallway that led to a spiral staircase up to the second floor.

"This is so cool. I've always wanted one of these," Emma commented, not hiding the fact that she was checking out Regina's ass as she climbed the stairs ahead of her.

"Yeah, they look great, but they're a bitch to navigate when you're half asleep in the morning, or when you're drunk at night. I've woken up with some nasty bruises from crashing into them after a rough night." At the top of the staircase was a short hallway that split into two directions, spanning the length of the apartment. "The best thing about this apartment is that there are two master suites. Robin's room is down that hallway," Regina said, pointing to one end of the hall, "and mine is down here." Regina turned toward her room, and Emma took that as a sign to follow her.

"You guys don't share a room?"

Regina laughed as she fell onto the bed, bouncing a little as she took a seat. The crisp white duvet reminded Emma of a cloud – it was much more fluffy and clean than her own white bed linen back at her place. The stark white bed covering contrasted with the dark navy walls, the navy and white graphic bedspread folded neatly at the end of the bed, and the rich, but feminine, oak furnishings. Emma realized it was the only room she had seen that wasn't painted white. The room seemed to fit Regina well – it was both welcoming and regal, and she would expect nothing less of someone who played Queen of the Damned on television. "Why would we? We are in no way a real couple," Regina said, pulling Emma's attention back to the question she had asked. She reached out for the blonde and wrapped her arms around her waist as she came to stand at the foot of the bed.

"I know, but I figured for the sake of appearances…"

Regina lifted an eyebrow as she looked up at the woman. "We don't make a habit of inviting the press into our bedroom, Emma."

Emma chuckled, taking a seat next to Regina. "Well, obviously. I guess I just assumed since your kids don't know about your arrangement…nevermind, it's none of my business."

"It's fine, Emma. And it kind of is your business…you're well within your right to ask me these things if we are going to try to make a relationship between us work. You need to be comfortable with it, because it won't be changing anytime soon. So, you're right – the boys don't know. But as far as they're concerned, we sleep separately because I snore."

"You don't snore," Emma said immediately, recalling their two sleepovers at the con.

"I know that, but they don't. And they don't think anything of it. We've had separate rooms since we moved in together, so it's normal for them. And any friends who come over for parties or whatever never come up here, so they don't know. Robin's parents asked about it once but believed my snoring story, and my mother couldn't care less. She and my father stopped sleeping in the same room when I was in junior high, and continued sleeping apart until he passed away. Except in his case, he really did snore and my mother is an exceptionally light sleeper. She just couldn't deal with it anymore." Emma nodded as Regina stood up. "My bathroom is through here," she gestured through a small hallway that had two large walk-in closets on either side. The bathroom was gorgeous - pristine white subway tile surrounded a deep soaker tub, and there was exquisite white and gray marble flooring. A separate glass walk-in shower was next to the tub, and across from that was a large vanity. A separate water closet was located on the far end of the bathroom.

"This is incredible. That tub is amazing."

Regina smiled. "It's my favorite feature. You're welcome to use it whenever you'd like. I have quite the selection of bath bombs to choose from," she said, opening one of the vanity drawers to reveal a large pile of colorful spheres.

"Regina, it looks like you robbed a LUSH store."

"I may have a mild addiction."

 ***.*.***

The pair made their way back through the bedroom to head downstairs. Regina mentioned that Robin had suggested they all go out to dinner, making sure they're seen together. "That way, if and when we're seen together when Robin is out of town, it won't seem like I'm trying to hide anything since it will be clear that you are friends with Robin. He also suggested that you and I go out to one of his restaurants tomorrow or the following day and make sure people see us, because if I were having some illicit secret affair, there is no way I would bring that person to my husband's place of business."

"I'd love to try out his place," Emma said as the headed back down the stairs to find that Robin had turned on a movie. They joined him in the living room and settled in, both women relatively tired from their morning flights.

"Regina, your phone has been buzzing nonstop," Robin mentioned as Regina stretched her legs out on the couch, instinctively resting her feet in Emma's lap.

She grabbed her phone off the coffee table to see several warning texts from Gold, including one that read: _SHUT IT DOWN! Now._ with an attached link. She clicked on it and saw a photo of her and Emma walking together through the airport. It was completely innocuous, as they weren't even touching each other, but that didn't matter when the caption says "Who's the mysterious hot blonde with our girl?" and a few comments suggested that it looked like the fan Regina had been seen with at Comic-Con a few months earlier. One commenter even mentioned that it looked like the same girl she was "cozying up to" at the karaoke bar. "Damn it," she muttered under her breath.

"What?" Robin and Emma asked simultaneously, looking over at her.

"Nothing…just more rumors. I really need Ingrid to get caught at a strip club or something. Even though she pissed of the network and is causing more problems for us in the long run, at least when she was the focus of the gay gossip it got Gold off my back for a little while."

"How bad is it?" Robin asked.

"Here," she handed him her phone. He winced as he handed it back.

Emma raised a curious eyebrow so Regina passed the phone to her. "Wow. The paparazzi really go after you," Emma said, frowning as she looked at the screen.

"That was a fan photo – paparazzi can't exactly get inside airport security, and this was taken before we ran into Gold. At least we both look good in it," Regina said with a sardonic chuckle, trying to find the humor in the situation.

"Gold was there?" Robin asked, surprised.

"Oh, yeah. Did I not mention that?"

Regina proceeded to explain the story, while Emma read a text she had received from Ruby: _Holy shit, Emma! Why are you in the airport with Regina Mills?_

She thought about how to respond, but figured there was no use denying it. It was a pretty clear image _. Our time off aligned so I'm visiting her for a bit while I'm on vacation in Montreal. We ran into each other at the airport. We thought we'd catch up for a bit._ Even though Ruby was one of Emma's closest friends, she refused to tell her the full extent of their relationship. Even Killian didn't know everything…she had just told him that she and Regina had become really good friends during the con and planned to hang out a bit over their respective work breaks. And truthfully, it wasn't her story to tell. She didn't want to be the one to out Regina, because she knew that would be fatal to any relationship they might have.

 _Oh, so you're not going on some secret lover's excursion to a private island somewhere in the Atlantic? ;),_ Ruby replied back.

Emma sighed. _No, Ruby. I'm literally sitting on her couch about to eat lunch with her and her husband. You really need to stop. The rumors that circulate are devastating to her and the cast and their families. If you want to be useful, please help stop them when you see them online rather than making sly innuendos._ Emma hoped she didn't oversell her response. She felt bad chastising her friend, but even if she and Regina were in a secret relationship, the rumors were still hurtful and making everything much worse than it needed to be. As she waited for a response, she pulled up her Instagram to scroll through the posts. "Oh, yeah, I've been identified," she said out loud, grabbing both Robin and Regina's attention.

Regina looked over, concerned. "What?"

"A few of your fans who reposted the airport photo tagged me in it – I guess they went back and found my photo you reposted of us at the con and realized I'm the same person…I have 100 new followers in the last hour."

She closed out of the app when she received a new text from Ruby. _Jeez, Em, I'm sorry. I was just messing with you. I know you guys are just friends, but it's fun to screw with you. I'll stop and I promise I won't spread any rumors that are out there._

Emma texted back a quick _Thank you, I appreciate that,_ before turning her attention back to Regina.

"Ugh, I'm sorry Emma," Regina sighed. "If any of them start harassing you don't be afraid to use the 'block' feature liberally. God knows I do."

Emma laughed. "So far, no one has said anything. They're mostly just liking a bunch of my photos."

"Yeah, they'll probably try to suck up to you, thinking it might help them get closer to Regina before they start with the hate…" Robin suggested. "Believe me. When Regina and I first started our 'relationship,' all her fans found me. Most of them are great, albeit a little overenthusiastic about us, but a few of them felt like I was cock-blocking them, so to speak. Or, when Regina and I would be apart for awhile due to work schedules and whatnot, they would start accusing me of cheating on her."

Emma looked at him incredulously. "Seriously?"

Regina nodded. "Yep. Mal gets it, too, and I only see her like once or twice a year. She had to make her account private because fans of the show kept finding her and trying to dig up old photos of us, or photos of her with other women to prove that she's gay, which they thought would add more weight to those photos of us from college. She finally had enough and locked her account down. At first they were nice to her, liking her photos and commenting nice things, but then it turned quickly, especially on the internet where people can just pile it on."

Robin added: "I wouldn't be surprised if that happens to you, especially since they know you're a fan from that original photo of you guys outside the con. They'll probably think 'oh, that could have totally been me,…that could be me' and think that you're just like them. You might want to make your account private if this relationship between you works, but I wouldn't do it today, because that will only raise suspicion."

Emma paled, slightly concerned about the turn of events, and barely registering the sound of the oven beeping in the background or Robin getting up and leaving the room. "Emma, it will be fine," Regina placed her hand on Emma's thigh. "And if it does get to be too much for you, please let me know."

Emma put her hand on top of Regina's and smiled. "It'll be worth it."

* * *

 **A/N:** Next up: they discuss Regina's image, come up with an idea for how to spin Emma's presence in Regina's life, and then Emma meets little Roland and Henry. Day one will conclude with the dinner excursion, which wouldn't be complete without a little drama (is Gold really their biggest problem?). Stay tuned!


	2. Chapter 2: Strategy Session

**A/N:** Thank you so much for all the reviews/follows/favorites from the first chapter! It made me so happy to see how excited you guys are for this sequel. I must admit, these two characters are crazy fun to write, and I think you'll be happy with how this story will ultimately resolve :). While we all wait for youtube footage of the OUATSF panels to show up, here's a new chapter.

* * *

 ** _Afternoon of August 21, 3pm_**

"When did you make pizza?" Regina asked as Robin carried over a wood platter with a thin crust veggie pizza balanced carefully on top.

"While you were giving Emma the tour. I figured you both might be hungry after your flights."

"This looks amazing. Thank you," Emma commented, releasing Regina's hand as she leaned over to grab a slice.

"So, how are you going to handle this?" Robin asked his wife.

"Don't you have a publicist or something to run this by?" Emma asked Regina before taking a bite. "Oh God, this is delicious. You made this?" she added, turning to Robin. He nodded.

"I don't, actually. Prior to this show my career didn't really warrant anything beyond an agent. You didn't need a publicist when you were at most doing a one-off guest stint, or when you're filming something during pilot season that never made it beyond a half season, and that's only if it even got picked up in the first place. 'Dead Sorority Girl #3' on _Law and Order: SVU_ didn't really have the career status that required someone to manage her public image," Regina laughed, pausing to bite into her slice and moaning in appreciation, causing her to raise an eyebrow when she saw Emma staring. "And then when I signed on for _Frozen Mirror,_ I was still relatively unknown. Even now, outside the show's fans, I'm not a household name. The show is successful, but it's not like we're the cast of _Friends_ and every tabloid wants photos of us pumping gas or going on a coffee run. It's mainly the fans of the show with cell phones doing most of that, and it's all contained on social media fan accounts and blogs. But, the show and network basically own us – the only person who has an outside publicist is Ingrid, and that's because she was a big name before the show and already had one. It's also why her actions have caused problems, because her rep and the show's production studio have very different views on what she should be doing on her own time – the show only cares about its success, but her publicist is focused on her career longevity, beyond _Frozen Mirror_. The rest of us only have careers because of the show, so we made a bad deal and have contracts that are way too stifling that let the show's executive producers and studio's marketing and PR team have power over us. They are essentially our publicists. Even if we wanted to hire outside representation, our contracts have us boxed into what they want us to do, so there's no point. We can do and say what we want to an extent on our personal accounts, but if they don't like it we have to fix it so it will fall into their plan for the show's image. They also tell us what to do sometimes, particularly around promotions – make us retweet things, post specific photos, etc., and we have a long list of what we can never say or do. And getting caught in any same-sex compromising positions is at the top of that list. We all have managers, too, for our publicity tours and the conventions, but we all use the same few that the studio hand-picked, so we don't really have much agency there."

Emma nodded. "That sounds like hell."

Regina nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it is. My contract is up this year and the show has already been picked up for another 3 years. If I'm going to stay on, they will certainly be making some changes, including releasing me from the studio's grip."

Robin wiggled his brow and then faked a frown. "Does that mean you'll be releasing me?"

Regina laughed. "We'll see."

 ***.*.***

The trio finished eating lunch and continued to talk about how to handle the inevitable rumors and photographs that would emerge during Emma's visit. Regina's fanbase in Montreal was large considering it was where she lived whenever she wasn't shooting in Halifax, and Emma and Regina were hardly going to stay cooped up inside all week – they were both on vacation and wanted to enjoy it. "You need to make it look like you have nothing to hide. If you try to avoid being seen together or look like you're trying too hard to appear like you're not together, that'll make it worse. You need to act natural and make it look like you really are just friends," Robin suggested.

"Regina, I know you said you don't have a publicist, but it kind of sounds like you're married to one," Emma joked.

"Right? He handled all the PR for the restaurant and catering companies he used to work for before he opened his own place. He worked for a really high-profile chef, but one who was a little…let's say quirky in public."

"Really? You're going with 'quirky'? More like batshit crazy and a completely loose cannon," Robin interrupted.

Regina rolled her eyes before continuing: "Sure, that too…anyway, he learned a lot about how to spin things while working for that guy."

"Speaking of spinning things, Regina, I assume you told Emma about my idea for dinner tonight?" Robin asked.

Regina nodded. "Yep. And we'll go to your newest restaurant while you're out of town…I actually haven't been there yet, so it'll be a good opportunity for me to promote it, too."

"Good. I'll post some photos of all of us tonight, so that will help fans see that you're not hiding anything from me. You should both post some, too. It won't necessarily help the rumors that I'm your beard, but since that's more or less the truth, that's harder to avoid without blatantly lying, which I know you hate doing."

"That is true," Regina confirmed.

"Emma, it might be awkward, but if you take and post a staged candid of Regina and me together, that might help. Tag us it, and then let the fans find it and repost it themselves. That might help stop rumors from developing without making it look like we're orchestrating something."

"Of course…Whatever you need."

"Good. Then the only issue that remains problematic is the fact that Emma was first introduced as a fan. It helps that Emma isn't that much younger than you and is older than a lot of the show's fans, so if you met under different circumstances a friendship between you two wouldn't be seen as anything out of the ordinary. But, you two met during a con, and like I said earlier, people will see Emma and think 'Oh, that could totally be me.' Given the stalker situation with Sidney a few years ago, and a few others who have come close to crossing the line, that's my biggest concern…for both of you. Emma, I don't want her fans trying to use you or cross any lines, and since they'll be able to find where you dance and teach, that's not out of the realm of possibility. And Regina, we really can't let them believe that you would ordinarily invite a fan that they think you met at a con to come hang out with you at your home."

"I get that, Robin, but I love engaging with my fans. I want them to know I'm there for them and that I enjoy meeting them. I don't want to appear standoffish."

"You won't. I just want to make sure it doesn't get out of hand or leave room for someone to get the wrong idea about your potential relationships with fans. At the end of the day, it's very rare that you would ever hang out with them outside of an organized event. But I agree, you need to make it a positive experience for them and to appear like you would be friendly when you meet them, because you are. It's a thin line to balance on. I think you need to come up with a reason to justify your friendship with Emma…something that the fans can't latch onto and imagine would apply to them, too. Something that clearly makes her different than the others."

Regina nodded as she thought about what Robin said. "That makes sense…So, I assume you have some grand master plan to address it?"

Robin chuckled. "Not yet. I'm open to suggestions…maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask Gold what he thinks."

"No."

"Regina…" Robin pressed.

"Absolutely not. That man is too involved in every aspect of my life as it is. Not that I'm not grateful to him for orchestrating our entire relationship and marriage, because you have become my best friend, Robin, and our marriage was necessary given the situation at the time, but I do not want Gold involved in anything that has to do with me and Emma. He clearly hates the idea of us spending time together, so he won't help, and he can only cause damage. I don't want his interference. While I don't think he'll believe it, I want him to think that we're just friends. She's too important to have him butt into the middle of it," Regina said, looking over at Emma and offering her a sheepish smile. She hoped she hadn't scared her off, but her fears were assuaged when Emma winked back at her in response.

"Regina, he cares about the success of the show, and you are critical to it. If you leave, your fans leave. If being with Emma will make you happy and he can find a way to help make that happen, even if that means him helping you cover it up, then maybe he would do it if that meant he would get to keep you on the show."

"No. He answers to the studio and the network. If they found out he was helping hide what those homophobic assholes consider an 'immoral' relationship, they would fire him in an instant, even if it is his show. He would never take that chance. And if I'm going to stick around, I don't want to keep hiding myself. It's exhausting."

"Wait, Regina, are you seriously considering leaving the show?" Emma asked.

Robin was curious about Regina's answer as well and was glad Emma asked. He knew she was sick of the relationship charade of the past four years, and she often said she felt like a hypocrite when she promoted LGBT causes but couldn't admit her own history publicly, but he never thought she wouldn't see the show through to the end.

Regina shrugged. "I'm thinking about it. I want to see what they have planned for season 9 before I sign on, to make sure that creatively it's still a good decision for me, but I also need them to loosen the stipulations they have in our contracts about what we are and are not allowed to do. It's not only the image we have to maintain as part of the show, but it's everything. The cons, the press tours, the filming schedule…they even have clauses that prevent us from auditioning for any other TV shows, miniseries, or streaming shows… anything that could be a competitor, even if it doesn't conflict with our scheduling. Some of the cast have tried to audition for films, but even during our hiatus we're bound into attending cons so it makes shooting anything else nearly impossible – no one wants to work around our schedules. And that's the genius behind having us all use the managers appointed by the studio – they control our event appearances, and they make sure to keep us busy so we can't do other work, especially because they get paid when we go to those events, but they wouldn't get paid if we did other work outside the franchise. It's stifling."

"Oh wow. I had no idea," Emma said with a sigh. She always thought it looked so exciting and fun when she was photos and videos online, but it made sense. She knew her former life as a professional ballerina probably looked like a perfect dream job to so many little girls, but they didn't know how grueling it truly was – 15 hour days, little sleep, the physical exhaustion and pain, absolutely no personal life. It was far from glamorous.

"Don't get me wrong – I love the show, the cast, my character, and meeting the fans. I love going to cons and getting to travel all over the world, and the healthy paycheck for those events doesn't hurt…I would fight harder to get out of it if I didn't enjoy it…but I miss being able to do other projects, too. I have such little free time that when I do find it, ultimately I have to decide if I want to spend it trying to work on some other project that probably will never come to fruition due to time constraints, or try to spend time with my friends and family. And the latter has to win. Otherwise I'd go crazy. But, I'm starting to feel like I have this creative energy that I can't get out because I have only been able to play this one character for nearly eight years. I love her, but I'd love to stretch myself and try a new challenge, too."

"Okay," Emma interjected. "So no Gold, and we need a reason to justify why you and I are hanging out here, despite only meeting 'momentarily' at a con…"

"Yeah…" Regina sighed, leaning against the back of the couch and looking over at Emma. "You have any ideas? And sadly your charming personality is not enough of a reason," she smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm thinking…and we really can't just ignore how we met? We can't just say it turns out that I'm an old friend or distant cousin of Robin's?"

Regina shook her head. "No…we missed that chance when I reposted your photo and captioned it that I had met a fan at Starbucks. If we wanted to make it seem like you already knew Robin, you would have told me that then and I would have captioned it as 'oh, look who I ran into.' Of course at that time I didn't expect that I would ever see you again, let alone that we would actually be exploring whatever this is between us."

"Out of curiosity, why did you repost my photo? I've never seen you post photos with fans."

Regina sighed. "I know, but Gold kept going on and on about how we needed to amp up our media presence during Comic-Con, and he specifically told us to post pictures with fans. I didn't want to post any photos with fans who go to all our cons…they all know each other to some extent online. It would look like I was playing favorites, which I avoid, especially with some of the shipwars that happen in the fandom. If I post a photo with one person it's like I'm endorsing them and whatever ship they're on. I figured you were a safe bet since you weren't even attending the con and your Instagram is yours and not filled with show-related content…and like Robin said, you're older than most of the fans I meet at these things. Plus, it was a really cute photo, and I kind of had a crush on you. You were far too cute in your leotard and tights," she winked.

"You had a crush on me? Past tense?" Emma teased.

Regina laughed. "I think we're past the crush stage, dear…Had I known that this would have amounted to something, I would have captioned it differently or chosen someone else's photo to repost to keep you out of it."

Robin looked contemplative as he tried to steer the conversation back on track. "Okay, so we can't say that Emma and I somehow know each other because it's clear that wasn't the case, but what if we tie you two together in some other way?"

Both Regina and Emma looked up at that. "What do you mean?" Regina asked.

"They already know that you met at Starbucks, and plenty of fans saw the photos others posted from the karaoke bar where you guys were together in the background. Those went away for awhile, but sure enough people have started posting them again after the airport photo this morning and speculating."

"Great…" Regina mumbled.

Robin continued: "What if we say that you ran into each other more throughout that weekend…obviously not saying that you spent two nights holed up in Emma's apartment and your hotel room together, but what if we come up with some other story as to how you ended up talking more…and then you realized that you got along well so you hired Emma to be your assistant or something."

Regina raised a skeptical eyebrow. "That wouldn't work. For one, I don't want people to think Emma is my assistant. And two, if she were, then she would have to be around all the time. As much as I'd love her company, she has a life of her own and doesn't even live in the same country as me most of the time. That would be a hard story to sell."

Emma jumped in. "Wait, so okay, maybe not a personal assistant...but something along those lines could work, right? I mean, actors have help, don't they? And aside from a personal assistant, those other helper people aren't around 24/7…Like, I assume you have a stylist who you work with for events, don't you?"

Regina nodded. "I do, but it's not always the same girl. It depends on the event and her schedule, and sometimes I don't bother at all with anyone to help."

"Right. So, she wouldn't need to be with you all the time… So, what might make sense? Something small that people might not question since I'm clearly not in the industry…maybe like a tutor for the boys?" Emma suggested.

"That's not bad, except for the fact that you're here when the boys are going on a trip with Robin. And, I'd like to be able to see you even when I'm not with the boys, and I want to leave them out of it as much as possible."

While Emma and Regina were throwing out options, Robin had taken out his phone and scrolled back through Regina's feed, finding the photo from the con that started it all. "Wait a minute…Regina, you captioned that photo, quote: ' _Thanks 'EmmaSwanDances' for letting me cut in line and ensuring that I was able to get my caffeine fix during my very short break yesterday at #NEComicCon. It's always great to connect with #FrozenMirror fans, especially fellow performing artists!_ '. That's it."

"What's it?" Regina asked.

Robin rolled his eyes. "I don't know why we didn't think of this before. Emma is a dancer with an legitimate resume. You already have a personal trainer, but what if you decided you wanted someone to train you in dance? Or like yoga or something your usual trainer clearly wouldn't be suited to do?"

Emma and Regina looked at each other as they thought about it. "But why would she need a dance coach?" Emma asked.

Robin shrugged. "I don't know. She just wants to learn? She used to dance when she was younger. Maybe she's wanting to get back into it but without taking formal classes where she would be accosted by fans while she's still figuring out how to move. I imagine it would be embarrassing to fall on her ass in front of all those people…"

"Hey, I would not do that. I'm more coordinated than that… give me a little credit," Regina feigned offense before a smile formed on her lips. "But actually, that could work."

Emma looked over at her. "Seriously?"

Regina nodded. "Yeah. It's not public knowledge yet, and I haven't even had a chance to mention it to Robin yet since I just found out, but Gold told us yesterday that he's finally caving to fan demands and we'll be doing a musical episode later this season – Mary Margaret's character will be severely injured and have this elaborate unconscious psychotic break dream sequence where we all break into song. Granted they'll be hiring a choreographer for the show to teach us the dances and bringing in a vocal coach for all of us eventually, but maybe I can say that being the perfectionist I am, I wanted to get a jumpstart on my training. Your Instagram account clearly shows that you're an amazing dancer, so it's not that far-fetched. I can say that I saw a clip of your performance from Comic-Con weekend, and hired you? Or is that too weird? You don't have some non-compete clause that would get you in trouble with your studio, do you?"

Emma shook her head. "No, it's not too weird, and I don't have a clause. All of us teach at various studios, so that shouldn't be a problem…I think this might actually work? But are you allowed to tell people about the musical? If you can't, how are you going to justify me as your 'coach' this early?"

Regina paused. "Well, I guess I will have to ask Gold when he's planning on announcing it…if I can't say anything about it this soon, I could just tease it as a 'developing project'. It would grab people's attention and help build interest when the show finally is announced. Gold can't get mad about that, even if he disapproves of us spending time together. And maybe it would get him off my back, if by some miracle he believes the story. Plenty of Hollywood types are friends with their trainers and stuff, so if we're seen out together it shouldn't be a big deal."

Emma nodded. "Okay then."

"Even though this is all a front, you might want to craft a few videos and pictures of your 'rehearsals' to make it seem like this is actually a thing that you're doing. It will help sell it," Robin suggested.

Regina thought it over and realized he made a good point. "There's a yoga studio in the building on the 7th floor next to the gym. Some of the condo owners petitioned and got the management to install ballet barres after the whole barre fitness crazy took off. We can go down there for a few minutes some day this week and take a few pictures to have on hand."

Before Emma had a chance to respond, they heard the elevator door open and two rambunctious boys come running into the apartment. "Mommy!" Roland yelled when he saw the brunette sitting on the couch. "You're home!"

"I am!" She quickly stood up and rushed over to Roland, picking him up and placing a kiss on his cheek. "You know, you're getting too big, mister. I won't be able to pick you up like this much longer," she said, placing the eight year old back on the ground. He was on the small side for his age, but he seemed to have grown an inch since the summer began.

"Hi, Mom!" Henry said as he set his bag down on the floor and grabbed a half-finished bottle of Coke from the fridge, sliding onto one of the stools under the breakfast bar. He did miss Regina, but at age 12 he was in the "I'm too cool to miss my parents" stage.

"Henry, come over here and give me a hug. None of your friends are here, so you won't lose your street cred."

He rolled his eyes, but eagerly hugged Regina. "I'm glad you're back."

"Me, too," she said. "Now boys, I have someone we want you to meet. This is my friend Emma. She'll be staying here for a few days while you guys are on your big all-boys camping trip."

Emma took that as her cue and walked into the kitchen to stand in front of the boys. She tried to hide her nerves, realizing that their opinion of her would matter to Regina. She knew that Regina would do anything for her sons. "I'm Emma. I've heard a lot about you both," she said, trying to sound friendly and confident. She had a lot of practice being around kids from teaching ballet, but admittedly her experience was almost entirely limited to girls. This was all new to her.

"Hi Emma. How do you know our mom?" Roland asked.

"Yeah. We haven't seen you before," Henry added.

Emma looked over at Regina hesitantly before responding, but Regina beat her to it. "Remember when I was at New England Comic-Con back in June? I met Emma while I was there. She has a dance company that was performing just up the street from where we were. We bumped into each other and I ended up seeing one of her shows. She's really good. I need someone to train me for an upcoming episode where I'll have to dance, so I asked Emma if she would help me," Regina answered, testing out the story they had agreed upon.

"Oh, cool!" Roland said before grabbing his backpack and running off to his bedroom down the hall.

Regina laughed and shrugged. "There's an eight year old boy's attention span for you."

"It's nice to meet you, Emma," Henry said, shyly extending his hand toward Emma.

She smiled and shook his hand. "You too, Henry."

Regina cleared her throat, trying to hold back a laugh as she watched Henry check Emma out. She couldn't really fault him. "Henry, why don't you finish your drink and then take a quick shower. We'll be heading to dinner soon and you've been outside running around all day."

"Yes, Mom…" he whined before throwing the empty bottle in the recycling bin and dragging his bag down the hall toward his room.

"I think someone has a crush," Regina whispered to Emma after Henry was out of earshot.

Emma laughed. "Well, I hate to break the kid's heart, but I only have eyes for one person in this household."

* * *

 **A/N:** I hesitated to put the last little bit in here in case it was too weird, but in this world Henry and Emma clearly have no relation, and tbh Emma/JMo is hot and any 12 y/o boy would have a crush on her lol. I hope that wasn't too creepy? (I always wondered if Jared Gilmore got weirded out when he suddenly realized that his TV moms are super attractive.) There won't be anything more happening there, as the kids are going to be out of the picture pretty soon camping. (I know nothing about kids/haven't ever been around them and therefore don't know how to write their characters, but I didn't want to completely exclude them from the story).

Also, I'm not in Hollywood so I don't know the inner logistics of how PR and studio management/contracts work, but if I'm way off base just assume that Nova Scotia and whatever network the show is on is structured differently and much more strict...Think of it as Disney but like 10x more conservative lol.

Thanks again for reading! I know how I'm going to have the story end since it's already outlined, but I'd love to hear your ideas/theories as to what will happen with the two ladies.

Next chapter: Dinner with a little drama (that hopefully you won't see coming/will be an interesting twist).


	3. Chapter 3: Dinner Drama

**A/N:** This is a short update, because Emma's first day is almost over and I don't want to cover multiple days in one chapter, nor did I want to draw this out just for the sake of making it longer. Enjoy! **  
**

* * *

 ** _Evening of August 21, 6:30pm_**

"Oh wow, this is a beautiful space!" Emma commented to Robin as he held the door open and she walked inside.

"Thank you, Emma," he said, following Emma and his family inside his flagship restaurant, Locksley Bistro. He quickly said hello to the hostess at the front and asked for their usual spot, and she immediately ushered the party of five toward the semi-private dining area upstairs.

As they walked toward the stairs to the left of the hostess stand, Emma took in her surroundings. The bistro was long and narrow, with very high ceilings that sported modern pendant chandeliers evenly spaced throughout the main area. There was an original brick wall spanning the entire right side of the restaurant along with the bar, while the opposite wall was floor-to-ceiling glass. The sun had not set yet, so there was still some light coming through the windows, but Emma could tell that at night the space would be dim, illuminated only by the tealight candles on the tables and the soft glow of the pendants overhead. The décor was a tasteful mix of vintage antiques and modern furnishings — farmhouse tables with clean lines and industrial chairs in the center of the room, with smaller café tables and a few sofas around the edges. She had to admit that Robin had great taste, and he seemed to be doing well for himself — even though it was a Monday night, nearly every table was filled.

They walked up a flight of stairs to the loft space above. Another bar spanned the back wall, while a few small round tables were placed on one side and overlooked the restaurant below. The hostess led them to a pair of two cognac leather couches that faced one another in a nook behind the stairs. She bent down and took the "Reserved" sign off the large wood coffee table in between the couches before handing them the menus. "Not that you need these," she laughed before leaving her boss to settle in with his family.

Emma briefly wondered how a group of five would arrange themselves on two small sofas, but Robin quickly sat down next to Roland and Henry on one. "Relax, Emma. It's just a couch. Don't overthink it," she heard Regina whisper in her ear before the brunette sat down on the vacant sofa, across from her husband. Emma followed her and sat down, leaving what she deemed to be a friendly amount of space between them.

A server immediately came over to them, smiling at the group as she approached. "Well, if it isn't the Locksley clan! I heard you were coming by tonight. It's good to see you," she said before turning to Emma. "And welcome! I don't believe we've met before. I'm Dorothy."

"I'm Emma. It's nice to meet you."

"I hope the customers are treating you well tonight, Dorothy," Regina smiled at the young woman who had become her favorite waitress over the years. The girl was a fan of the show and of Regina's, but she had quickly gotten over her surprise at seeing the actress in-person and had been nothing but professional. She had also been particularly good at running interference between excited patrons and Regina, allowing them some semblance of privacy when they dined.

"So far, so good. Can I get you guys anything to drink?"

"Coke!" Both boys immediately said.

"No, guys. We have to get up early tomorrow. I don't want you up all night on sugar and caffeine," Robin said.

"But Dad—" Roland started to whine.

"How about one glass of Sprite each? There's no caffeine in that, at least. And then after that, it's water or milk only," Regina compromised.

"Fine," Roland pouted.

"And for you, Emma?" Dorothy asked.

"The cocktails here are divine. You have to try one," Regina suggested.

"A Manhattan would be lovely, thanks."

"Perfect. Regina, we have a new cider on draft."

"You know me well, Dorothy. That would be great."

"And your usual, Robin?" Dorothy asked, looking over at her boss.

"Of course. Thanks."

"I'll be right back with those," she said before flitting off to the bar.

 ***.*.***

Emma was surprised by how comfortable she felt eating dinner with Regina and her family. She never really had family dinners growing up, given that her mother had passed away when she was barely a teenager and she had spent her high school years at a performing arts boarding school. She had never dated anyone long enough to go through the "meet the family" ritual, so she had not known what to expect when she sat down with the Locksley-Mills family that evening. Her nerves were slowly subsiding with each passing minute, although she also had to give some credit to the cocktails for helping relax her as well. Conversation flowed easily between them, and Emma even found herself in an intense but friendly debate with Henry over who would win in a showdown between Wolverine and Deadpool. (Realizing that she was fighting a losing battle, she eventually conceded that yes, Wolverine probably would destroy Deadpool). Not to mention, the food was delicious.

Regina similarly felt relieved by how well Emma seemed to fit into their lives. She knew the entire situation was beyond dysfunctional, as the photographs for Instagram that they had staged throughout dinner to look like candids served as a reminder of that fact. But, Emma didn't appear to mind. Regina knew it was a lot to ask of the blonde to play a role in this charade, but she never argued and seemed willing to do anything needed to protect Regina's public persona.

Robin and Regina had given into the boys' pleading looks for dessert, as they had claimed it was a special occasion since Emma was joining them. Regina made the boys share one dessert because they were already risking a sugar coma, even without the added treat. Dorothy smiled as she delivered the chocolate lava cake that they had picked out from the dessert menu, before placing three mugs of decaf coffee on the table for the adults.

"Can Emma come to dinner with us all the time?" Roland asked his mother when he realized Emma's presence was the only reason they got dessert.

She laughed, placing a hand on Emma's thigh. "You never know."

Regina watched with an amused expression as the boys tore into the mound of chocolate on the plate, reminding them to slow down and ultimately stepping in to cut it in half so they wouldn't kill each other over who would get to eat more it. Leaning back on the couch, she shifted a little closer to Emma as they sipped their coffee, enjoying the ambiance of the familiar restaurant around them.

Regina should have known that things were going too well, frowning that she had let herself get too comfortable when that distinctive voice interrupted her thoughts: "Regina, what a lovely surprise."

She steadied herself as she sat up straight, subconsciously creating more distance between her and the blonde. "Mother, what are you doing here?" She asked, trying to sound happy about the intrusion.

"Well, I was in town and couldn't pass up the opportunity to come support my son-in-law's restaurant, now could I?" The older woman replied, leveling her gaze at her daughter.

"Well thank you, Cora, it is always lovely to see you," Robin said, standing up briefly to kiss the woman's cheek. Regina was always impressed by Robin's ability to charm her mother, even though he did not particularly care for the woman.

"You could have called first, Mother. I didn't even know you were in town," Regina said.

"Yes, well, it was a last minute decision. I had some business to take care of."

"Oh, so will you be in town long?" Regina asked, immediately regretting it. The last thing she wanted to do was open the door to an invitation for some mother-daughter bonding during her short time off from filming.

"It turns out an old friend is visiting town, too, so I decided to make a little vacation of it. I'll be here a few more days. I would love to see you properly while I'm here, Regina, that is if you can make some time in your busy schedule for your mother."

"I suppose, Mother, though I do have quite a bit planned since I don't have a ton of time off."

Emma could feel the tension radiating off Regina as she watched the exchange. She caught Robin's eye across the table and he raised one eyebrow at her as they held a silent conversation.

"Yes, I can see that," Cora replied, glancing over at the blonde next to her daughter. "Regina, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Of course, Mother, my apologies. This is Emma. Emma, this is my mother, Cora," Regina said, causing Emma to turn her attention away from Robin and back to Regina.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Emma said, standing up and extending her hand.

"You as well, dear," Cora said, shaking Emma's hand before gesturing for the blonde to sit back down. "Tell me, how do you know Regina and Robin?"

Before Emma could answer, Regina answered. "I met her when I was in Portland a few months ago at Comic-Con. We bumped into each other a couple of times, and it turns out she's a phenomenal dancer. We're going to be doing a musical episode this year and I wanted to get a jump start on training, so I asked Emma if she was available to assist. After all, it has been quite some time since I've taken a class and I don't want to embarrass myself during filming," Regina seethed. Emma recalled their conversation from the Con when Regina had told her that Cora made her stop taking dance classes when it was clear she would never be a professional ballerina. Clearly, Regina was still bitter about it, and Emma could understand why.

"Oh, I see," Cora said, frowning.

"Anyway, Mother, we were just finishing up here and really should be heading out soon. Robin is taking the boys camping tomorrow and they have to be up early."

"Yes, of course. It was lovely seeing you all. Regina, do call me," she said before walking away from the table.

Emma heard Regina let out an audible breath, and when she looked over she saw that she had her eyes closed. "Are you okay?" Robin asked his wife from across the table.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just was not expecting her to be here. I don't like when she catches me by surprise and I have my guard down," Regina responded.

"I still don't like her," Henry said as he finished his last bite of cake.

"Henry, that's not very nice to say," Robin reprimanded.

Regina laughed. "It's fine. I don't like her very much either."

 ***.*.***

Upon returning to the apartment, Robin immediately ushered the boys to their rooms to get ready for bed. They complained, wanting to spend more time with their parents' intriguing new friend. "We have a big day tomorrow, guys, and I won't have you falling asleep on me while we're trying to hike through the woods or set up the tents," Robin reminded them. They nodded and ran to their rooms, excited for their upcoming adventure. He turned to Regina and Emma, who had just sat down at the kitchen island. "I'm going to head upstairs and shower and go to bed myself. We're meeting John and Will at 6am to drive up to the campgrounds, so I need my sleep. Have fun you two," he winked, kissing his wife on the cheek before heading upstairs.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Regina asked, opening up the bottle of red wine she had on the counter and pouring a glass.

"I could go for a glass of that," Emma replied, and graciously accepting the glass Regina offered before following her to the couch.

"Any preference?" Regina asked, pulling up their Netflix account and starting to scroll through her list.

"Not really. Not _Black Swan_ , again. Once was more than enough," Emma said, placing her glass on the coffee table as she reclined back. "And I totally see it…your mom really does resemble the mom in that movie."

"Right? It's uncanny." Regina stopped scrolling and selected _Jenny's Wedding_. "Have you seen this yet?" Emma shook her head. "Me either. I figure it seems appropriate to go with something with a closeted lesbian theme, though, considering."

They sat back on the couch, watching as Katherine Heigl and Alexis Bledel dealt with the typical rom-com tropes. A half hour into the film, Regina got up to check on the boys. "They're out like a light," she said when she returned, retaking her spot on the couch and ushering Emma to move closer to her, assured that the boys wouldn't be making an appearance.

Emma happily snuggled into Regina's side, sighing softly as the brunette's fingers found their way into to her hair, gently combing through her curls. "Would you ever do a movie like this?" She asked, looking up at Regina.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I'm certainly not opposed to the content, but I just don't know if I'm much of the romantic comedy leading lady type. I've really only done dramas that occasionally have some humor woven in, but never a pure comedy thing. Maybe something like _The L Word_ might be more fitting."

"I would love to see you on that, though I might get jealous," Emma smirked before stealing a quick kiss. "But for what it's worth, I totally think you could pull something like this off. You can be hilarious when you want to be. Just look at your convention panels. Everyone loves you."

Regina smiled. "Hmm…I'll think about it then, just for you."

* * *

 **A/N:** Up next: Regina and Emma's first full day together without Robin or the boys around. It'll be lots of fluff and setting up for what's to come. **  
**

I think most of you follow/favorite the story and not me specifically as an author, which is what I tend to do as well. If that's the case, you can ignore this paragraph. However, I know a handful of you have favorited/followed me (in addition to and/or rather than just my individual fics) and therefore get a notification every time I start a new fic or post a chapter in any fic, so I wanted to let you know that I will be posting a new story sometime this weekend (a oneshot) that will be an OQ AU (although it's mostly Regina-centric and is light on the direct OQ interaction). If you've read my profile, you know that I am one of the apparently rare multi-shippers when it comes to Regina, because she's my favorite... while I love SQ, I also really enjoy DQ, OQ, and even a little EvilCharming now and then. I don't write OQ often, but I have an idea that won't leave my head, so I have to do it. Plus, I like the creative challenge of writing for different pairings now and then. The forthcoming OQ fic will be a completely different writing style than what I usually do, so I wanted to play with it in short oneshot. Basically, I'll be writing it as a palate cleanser of sorts to clear my head before I start writing the new SQ fic that I plan to start once I finish my other fic _Queen to Play_. If you are subscribed to me as an author on here and receive email notifications, it will be very clear by the story description and tags that it is OQ, so if that's not your thing you can easily avoid it. And since it will only be a oneshot, you shouldn't get more than one email about the new story. So, I just wanted to give you a head's up because I know the authors I have officially 'followed' on FFnet sometimes post fics in other fandoms, and I'm always like "WTF? Why am I getting this message? I don't even watch this show" when I get an email notification about it, and then I realize "oh yeah, I follow them, not just their individual fics." So, yeah. **Moral of the story/tl;dr** : I will occasionally post a non-SQ story, but it will always be super easy to identify it as such by the tags and description, so you can quickly delete the email and ignore it if it's not your thing. But, if you do follow me as an author, I hope you will continue to do so even if you don't like OQ, because the majority of what I write is SQ-centric — the OQ notifications will be few and far between. And if you're not completely opposed to the idea of Robin as a character, I hope you'll check it out because I promise it's not at all explicit (nor is it happy OQ fluff), and truthfully he's barely in it. It's definitely going to be 90% Regina-focused, and I would love feedback from my current readers on the different narrative approach I will be taking in that story. But, I certainly understand if you don't want to go near a fic that has OQ undertones, and I promise I will have plenty of forthcoming SQ drama, fluff, humor, and angst in my existing and future fics for you all to enjoy.

As always, thanks for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting! I'm glad you guys pushed me to write this sequel :)


	4. Chapter 4: City Exploration

**A/N:** I wasn't planning on working on this or posting another chapter for at least a few more days, but I'm procrastinating writing an analysis paper for my PhD that's due this weekend, and none of the fics I'm following have updated recently so I was forced to work on my own as a way of avoiding my actual work. So, lucky for you that I'm not being a model student right now :)

* * *

 ** _Day Two: August 22, 8am_**

Emma rolled over as she stretched out her limbs, opening her eyes and taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. It took her a minute to remember that she was in Regina and Robin's guest bedroom. She reached over and grabbed her phone from the charging dock on the nightstand, noting that it was a few minutes past eight o'clock. She assumed the boys would be long gone by now, but just in case she pulled on a pair of cut-off sweatpants over the underwear she had slept in and left the room.

She smiled at the smell of coffee that greeted her as she walked down the corridor, and her grin continued to grow when she saw Regina making breakfast. The brunette was oblivious to her presence, with her back to her as she flipped something in a pan on the stove. Emma unabashedly let her eyes roam over the site in front of her, thinking that Regina looked both adorable and sexy in her satin grey camisole and matching shorts. "Something smells delicious," she finally said, resting her elbows on the island as she leaned forward to see what Regina was making.

Regina turned around and smiled, allowing her eyes to fall briefly to Emma's chest, which was amplified by her current stance. "Well, look who is awake bright and early."

"I told you that I tend to get up early. This is actually a little late for me."

"Coffee?" Regina asked, pouring a cup and offering it to Emma.

"Yes, please," Emma answered, pausing to take a sip. "I take it the boys left already?"

Regina turned back to the stove, turning off the heat as she dished up the scrambled eggs onto two plates next to a few strips of bacon and a piece of toast that were already plated. "Yep. They left at six o'clock this morning. I saw them off and then took an hour long nap on the couch. I didn't even make it back upstairs, which had been my original plan," she chuckled, placing one plate in front of Emma at the island and then hopping into the vacant stool next to her with her own breakfast.

"This looks amazing, Regina, thank you."

Regina smiled. "It's my pleasure. Both of the boys are in a Poptarts phase, so I miss being able to cook for someone other than myself."

"They have a world-class restaurateur as a father, and yet they want Poptarts for breakfast?"

"I know, right? I don't get it, but Robin has decided to let them win this battle so I just go with it," she rolled her eyes as she stabbed her fork into her eggs. "So, did you sleep okay? The boys didn't wake you when they were running around?"

Emma nodded. "I slept great and I never heard them. I think I was dead to world…probably some residual jetlag."

They finished their breakfast and talked about their plans for the day, deciding to have a leisurely start before going to the French Quarter for lunch and some sightseeing. They each poured a second cup of coffee before moving to the living room and continuing to relax before heading out. Emma sat down on the couch and quickly did her routine email and social media checks, making sure Killian was doing okay with their company's pre-season tasks in her absence. "Hey, Regina," she called out to the woman who was sitting in the armchair next to her and going through her own emails.

"What's up?"

"Robin was right," she said, handing Regina her phone. "Your fans found the photo that I tagged you guys in last night and reposted the hell out of it."

Regina laughed to herself as she saw that was indeed the case. The photo they had staged to look like a candid the night before, Regina had to admit, was cute. Emma had switched spots with Robin briefly so Regina could lean into his side while he told a story. Robin had wrapped his arm around her while she held her glass of cider and looked up at him as she laughed. When they got home that night Emma posted the photograph, tagging both Robin and Regina and his bistro in the post, along with the caption: _'How adorable are these two? #LocksleyBistro #ReginaMills #RobinLocksley #Robina #FrozenMirror #Montreal #candid #relationshipgoals'_. The original photo on Emma's feed had over 1,000 likes and hundreds of comments, and when Regina clicked on her own tagged photos she saw that photo repeatedly in her feed. "Wow. I wasn't sure that would work. I didn't realize people actually stalked the photos tagged of me," she said as she handed the phone back to Emma.

"Of course they do. They love you," she said as she scrolled through the comments on her own photo, most of which were along the lines of: _'omg you're so lucky', '#Robina #OTP forever',_ or random emojis, along with a few ' _how do you know Regina? Who are you?'_ and ' _See, I told you she isn't secretly gay. She's so in love with Robin.'_ She ignored their comments and put her phone back on the table, finishing the last of her coffee. "Well, hopefully this is a good first step to getting Gold off your back. If I was anyone but me, I'd believe you and Robin were head over heels for each other."

"Let's hope that's true," Regina said before letting out a groan.

"What is it?" Emma looked over, concerned.

"Gold. He just texted me. He got just called to do a Montréal morning show tomorrow to promote the new season and he's demanding that I appear with him."

"Oh. That seems like short notice."

"Yeah. I guess he had been trying to get on it but they were booked, but it looks like one of the guests pulled out and they asked him if he still wanted the spot."

"Oh. Well, you should do it, then. The more you promote the upcoming season, the better, right?"

Regina nodded and bit her lip. "Yeah. Hopefully it won't take long." She quickly texted him back: _'okay. What time do I need to be there?'_

She watched the three grey dots appear on her screen as he typed out a reply and read it when her phone chimed: _'7am. We're on at 8:30 and then as long as we're there, we will have another press interview with_ Montreal Living _right after at 9:30."_

Regina rolled her eyes. Of course he would rope her into more press during her vacation. She had agreed to the show as a favor and thinking it would be short and sweet, but she was quickly losing her precious morning hours that she would rather spend with Emma. _'Fine. But that's it. No more appearances, Gold. I'm on vacation.'_

He answered immediately: _'Yes, I know. By the way, you better come alone tomorrow.'_

She typed a quick response indicating that she would be by herself, and then threw her phone a little harder than she intended to onto the coffee table. Emma looked up, startled. "Everything okay?"

"Not really. Apparently we're also doing a magazine interview after the morning show. I told him I would do it but that after that I am done while I'm on vacation. He also made it clear that I should leave you here while I go to the press interviews tomorrow."

Emma shrugged. "That's fine. I wouldn't expect to go, anyway. And it'll give me a chance to take a dance class while I'm out here —one of the companies is bound to have some sort of open company class in the morning."

Regina smiled. "That works. I can drop you off wherever you need to go on my way in, and then we can meet for a late breakfast afterward?"

"That sounds perfect. So, I guess our photo decoy wasn't as great as we thought if Gold is still paranoid?"

Regina sighed. "He didn't say anything about it, so maybe he didn't see it yet. But given how he's tracking all of us online, I'm sure he has. He probably just doesn't buy it because he's not an idiot and he knows the truth since he created my marriage in the first place. I haven't mentioned the larger dance coach story to him yet, but I might bring it up tomorrow if I have a chance to talk to him in private for a few minutes. That might help appease him."

"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help," Emma offered.

"I can think of one thing."

"Yeah?" Emma smirked.

"Yep. I want to get out of here and take advantage of what little free time it seems I'm going to have on this trip, so go get dressed so we can go," Regina said before she ran off toward the stairs to her bedroom to change.

 ***.*.***

The two women spent the late morning and early afternoon hours exploring Montréal's French Quarter, and Regina pointed out several of her favorite shops to Emma along the main avenue. At one boutique, they found two beautiful patterned silk scarves that were nearly identical, aside from the coloring —one was a stark black and white, while one was a subtle grey and white. They both tried them on, Emma falling in love with the lighter of the two, while Regina liked the contrast of the darker version. "It looks beautiful on you," Regina said as she showed Emma an alternative way of tying the scarf. "It really accents your eyes."

"You think so?" She asked, looking in the mirror.

"Mmhmm," Regina nodded as she adjusted the scarf she had tried on. "I think we should get them. We can match," she winked as she took out her phone and took a quick selfie with Emma in the boutique's mirror.

Emma considered it and agreed. At $150, it was more than she had ever spent on a scarf, but it was exquisitely made and she loved the idea of getting something with Regina while she was visiting. Plus, she was always very careful with her finances, so she could afford a little splurge. As she approached the register and took out her wallet, Regina grabbed her hand, telling her she wanted to buy it for her. "Regina, that's sweet, but you don't have to do that."

"I know, but I want to. It was my idea to get them," she said. She saw that Emma still looked hesitant, so she added, "If it makes you feel better, I'll let you buy me lunch."

"Okay, fine," she chuckled as she handed Regina the scarf. "Thank you."

The pair exited the shop and Regina pointed out a crêpe place across the street. "Are you hungry? This cafe is one of my favorites."

"Let's go. But remember, lunch is on me," Emma said as they crossed the cobblestone street.

"Of course. After you," Regina laughed as she held open the door.

They devoured their savory crêpes over lunch, continuing to talk about their plans for the rest of the week. By that point, the two women had settled into their time together, moving past the surface-level "get to know you" conversations and were able to talk about more in-depth subjects. Regina revealed to Emma more about her strained relationship with her mother, which Emma had picked up on during Cora's unexpected appearance the night before. Before leaving the café, they decided to give in and get some gelato to-go as they walked back toward Regina's car.

Fortunately, Regina was able to remain rather inconspicuous during the afternoon. She had dressed casually in dark jeans and a simple black tank, and she had kept her large-frame Alexander McQueen sunglasses on most of the day. She had also thrown on a grey Abercrombie and Fitch baseball hat she had stolen from Henry, so she was able to blend in with the crowds, who seemed to be more interested in looking at the architecture of the district than at her. She had only been stopped once by a fan on the way back to where they had parked, and she had graciously agreed to take a quick photo with the girl. Emma volunteered to take the photo for the teen, handing her the phone when she was done. "Ten bucks says the girl mentions you in the caption of that photo when she posts it online," Regina whispered as they headed back to the car.

"Seriously?"

Regina shrugged. "Probably. I recognized that girl. I think she lives here. She seems to always find me when I'm in town, and I see her commenting and starting stuff online. She's come to set a few times, too, and to quite a few cons."

Emma frowned. "Why do you agree to take photos with her, then? Why not just tell her you're in a hurry and decline?"

"I try to remain polite as much as I can, and I don't want to sour the reputation I have with fans for being generous with my time. If we weren't about to head home or there were a bunch of fans around I would have said no, because I didn't want to start a trend, but since she was by herself and asked nicely, I had no reason not to. And I kind of worry if I say no to her that she'll just start even more shit online."

"Regina, you can't let yourself be bullied into it. It's your time, and you have every right to decline a photo with fans, especially when you're off the clock."

"You sound like Robin. He says I'm too nice."

"He's right."

"I know. But it makes them happy and if I can let them feel special for five seconds, I'm happy to do it," she gave a half-hearted smile as she got into the driver's seat of her black Mercedes Benz sedan, ready to head back home.

 ***.*.***

"You owe me ten bucks," Regina said as she leaned against her bathroom door that night, scrolling through her phone.

"What?" Emma looked up from the mirror as she changed into a new pair of earrings she had picked up at one of the boutiques earlier in the day. After they returned from shopping earlier that afternoon, Regina had subtly mentioned that she was going to put the bag with their new scarves in her bedroom and that Emma was welcome to move her things up there if she wanted to since the boys were gone. Emma gladly accepted, and she found it refreshing how shy Regina seemed to be about the whole situation. She was also relieved that Regina was willing to take things slow, given that her previous relationship experience was essentially non-existent. She was still figuring everything out.

"The girl from earlier," Regina started as she walked over to Emma, grazing her hand along her lower back as she softly kissed the back of her neck. Regina was suddenly very happy Emma had decided to put her hair up, giving her easier access to it. "You look amazing, by the way. Those earrings were a great choice," she said softly, admiring the dainty gold studs and trailing her finger along her ear. Emma blushed as she started to touch up her makeup while Regina hopped up onto the counter next to her. "She posted the photo and captioned it, and I quote, 'ran into the lovely #ReginaMills in the French Quarter today. Her cute girlfriend Emma took this photo for us,' and then she added the winking emoji. Ugh. Do they really think I'm not going to see this, especially when they tag me in it?"

Emma rolled her eyes as she tossed her mascara back in her makeup bag and walked over to stand in front of Regina, gently resting her hands just above her knees and softly running her thumbs over the black denim Regina had changed into. "First, I owe you nothing, because I did not accept the bet. And second, just ignore it. The girl is probably just trying to get attention. Stop indulging her every time she sees you and maybe she'll go away." She leaned in to steal what she had intended to be a quick kiss, but Regina deepened it, letting her legs part and slipping her hands into Emma's back pockets to pull her closer, not letting up until Emma's hips were pressed against the counter. "This reminds me of when we were in your hotel room at the con," Emma said, breaking apart briefly before leaning into Regina yet again.

"Mmhmm," Regina smiled into the kiss and hummed. "I seem to remember you were just wearing a towel back then, though," she said, moving from Emma's lips to the side of her neck.

"Sorry to disappoint this time," Emma chuckled as Regina lightly grazed the ticklish spot behind her ear. She was grateful that Regina hadn't put on lipstick yet, because she would have had a mess to clean up otherwise.

"I don't mind," Regina said, flicking her tongue once more against that spot before moving back toward her throat. She moved her hands from Emma's back pockets up to her back, sliding them underneath the silk black camisole top and running her fingers along her spine. "You look hot."

"As do you. But, you know," Emma said, becoming slightly out of breath as she tilted her head back, "if you keep doing this we won't make it to dinner."

Regina pulled back and laughed, placing one more quick chaste kiss to her lips before pushing Emma back enough so she could slide off the counter. "You're right. Give me five minutes to finish changing and then I'll be ready."

Emma nodded as she watched the woman head into the massive walk-in closet just outside the bathroom door, emerging a few minutes later wearing a white choker-neck style blouse under a light black leather jacket. She had added a pair of four-inch red suede pumps. "Are these shoes okay or does it make it look like we color-coordinate too much?" Regina asked as she walked back into the bathroom.

Emma finished putting the last bobbypin into her braided bun and turned to Regina. "Honestly? Those shoes are hot as hell. If you're worried about it, I'll gladly change," she said, gesturing to the red skinny jeans she was wearing.

"Don't you dare. Your ass looks particularly incredible in those," she said, lightly slapping Emma's ass as she walked over to take one final glance in the mirror, fussing with a stray curl that wouldn't cooperate. "I'm just overthinking it too much."

"Okay then, ready?" Emma asked.

"Yes. I can't wait," Regina smiled, taking Emma's hand and leading her downstairs.

 ***.*.***

They arrived at Vin Et Table, Robin's newest restaurant in the center of the city, parking in Robin's reserved spot near the entrance on the busy street. "Not having to deal with street parking or the valet is one of the perks," Regina winked as they exited the car and went inside. The hostess immediately greeted Regina with a hug, commenting that she hadn't seen her since the opening night over a month ago. "I know. I've been so busy filming the new season that I barely made it back for that, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world," she commented.

"Well, we're always happy to have you here. Your husband had mentioned you and a friend might be coming by for a late dinner, so we reserved his usual table in the back. Is that okay?"

"Of course, thank you Rory." Regina and Emma followed the redhead to the back of the restaurant, sliding into a cozy corner booth in the back.

Emma looked around, noting that the restaurant was every bit as sleek as Locksley Bistro had been the night before, but it was a touch more elegant. When the server came over Regina asked Emma if she wanted to split a bottle of wine, and they decided on the top-rated Malbec on the menu.

Their dinner conversation flowed easily, with Regina asking Emma about the plans for her dance company's upcoming season. Emma bounced some ideas for a few pieces off of Regina, enjoying that Regina seemed genuinely interested in helping her work through some of the concepts she had been toying with for the past few months. She found it refreshing to go out with another creative type, because the few dates she had been on in recent years could not have been more uninterested in what she did for a living. Regina even asked her about her choreographic process, wondering if she just went for it in the studio or if she had to sit down and plan things out first. "It depends," Emma said, taking her last bite of the caramel cheesecake they had decided to share. "Sometimes I need to visualize it first and draw out formations and whatnot, but other times I really need to play in the studio and try things out on my body first." Emma looked up at Regina, who had a glint in her eye and smirked as she watched Emma slowly take the fork out of her mouth. "What?"

Regina shook her head, snapping herself out of it and trying not to blush. "Nothing. Are you ready to head out?"

Emma nodded in reply and grabbed her jacket, sliding out of the booth. Regina did the same, but they were intercepted when a man approached their table. "Good evening, Regina, I hope everything was to your satisfaction?"

"Hi Frederick. And yes, it was delicious, thank you," Regina replied. "Frederick, this is my friend Emma. Emma, this is Frederick. He's the social media manager for all of Robin's restaurants."

"It's nice to meet you," Emma said, shaking his hand.

"You as well," he smiled, before turning back to Regina. "Regina, Robin had mentioned that we might be able to get a photo of you two to post on our accounts? I know you haven't had the chance to stop by this location much, and I know Robin would appreciate it."

Regina chuckled to herself, amused that Frederick thought he had to convince her to take a picture and that she would be reluctant to do so, when it had all been Robin's idea to help cover Regina's tracks. "Of course. Where would you like us?"

"If you don't mind, perhaps out in front by the new sign?"

"Not a problem." She let Frederick usher them toward the front of the restaurant, and she noticed a few people trying to subtly take photos or video as they walked past. "I hear congratulations are in order," she said to him as they walked toward the entrance. "Robin mentioned that you and Abigail finally tied the knot a few weeks ago."

"Thank you. Yes, we decided we couldn't wait any longer and decided to elope. Robin has offered to close one of the restaurants one night next month and throw us a reception party."

"You better take him up on that. As you know, he knows how to throw a good party," Regina laughed as they went through the front door and out to the street. "Is here good?" She asked, maneuvering Emma and herself next to the rustic yet elegant chalkboard sign posted on the brick wall of the restaurant under the awning.

"Perfect. Can you move a little closer together so I can get the full sign in?"

Emma looked at Regina hesitantly, unsure if that was wise, but Regina wrapped her arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "Relax. I take photos like this all the time. Just pretend I'm Ruby or Killian," she said, gently rubbing her back to help relax the blonde. They smiled and let Frederick take a few shots, and then he asked Regina to pick one for him to post. She and Emma agreed on one where they thought they both looked cute and casual. "Fred, can you be sure to tag me in this? I want to repost it to help promote you guys."

"Of course. Thanks so much, Regina, and don't be a stranger," he said, kissing her cheek before turning back to Emma. "It was nice to meet you, Emma. We hope to see you again here as well."

They waved as he walked back inside the restaurant. "Do you want to stay out a bit longer or are you ready to go home?" Regina asked as they approached her Benz.

"We can head back," Emma said, getting the sense that despite her demeanor, Regina really was worried about all the cell phones that were whipped out as they walked by their tables inside.

 ***.*.***

The drive back to Regina's apartment was quick, given that the traffic at 10:30pm on a Tuesday night was never heavy. Upon entering the apartment, Regina immediately walked over to the sideboard in the dining room that doubled as a bar. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Sure. Whatever you're having is fine with me," she said, watching Regina pour the amber colored liquid from the decanter into a rocks glass. "Scotch?" She asked as Regina handed her a glass and led her over to the couch.

"Actually, it's cider. A friend of Robin's owns an orchard not too far from here, and he supplies us with apples for it," Regina kicked off her heels and propped her feet up on the coffee table, leaning back onto the couch and gently pulling Emma's arm so she would fall into her.

"You made this? It's incredible. And thank you for dinner, Regina. It was amazing."

Regina chuckled. "You're very welcome, although technically you should be thanking Robin."

"I'll be sure to do that the next time I see him," she replied.

They turned on the TV, catching an old Friends rerun that was part of a marathon. After finishing her drink, Regina checked her phone to see if Frederick had posted the photograph yet, hoping that she could repost it before heading to bed. She clicked on the page for 'VinEtTable', and smiled when she saw the photo. He had captioned it: _'Always great to see the lovely 'ReginaMills' come by when she's in town, especially when she brings new friends!"_ She quickly reposted it, adding a caption of her own: ' _Another delicious meal at 'VinEtTable', but missing 'RobinLocksley' lots! Xoxo."_ She then tagged Emma in the photograph, hoping to appear nonchalant. She set her phone back down on the table and looked over at Emma, who was stifling a yawn. Regina laughed before asking, "ready for bed?"

Emma nodded as she yawned again, pushing herself back upright. Regina stood up once Emma had moved over and she extended her hand out, helping the tired woman up off the couch. "Do you have enough energy to make it upstairs or do I have to carry you?" She asked, only half kidding.

"Up that spiral staircase? I'll manage. I'd rather not fall to my death when you drop me."

"Probably a wise decision," Regina laughed as she started up the stairs.

The two got ready for bed in companionable silence, simultaneously feeling extremely comfortable with each other, yet not quite sure how to handle the situation. Emma decided to err on the side of caution and took her tank top and bike shorts into the bathroom with her to change. While she was used to changing in front of people all the time backstage and assumed Regina likely felt the same way as an actor, she suddenly found herself overthinking all her actions. She realized that eventually they were going to need to have a conversation, not only about the inevitable physical progression of their relationship, but their relationship in general. Emma thought back to the conversation they had the night they spent in Regina's hotel room, where Regina had said that she didn't want to put any pressure on Emma, and she wanted to see what would develop. Emma could tell that she was falling for Regina, more quickly and deeply than she ever expected to, and she hoped Regina felt the same. She knew she only had a few more days in Montréal, and she was starting to worry about what would come next. She figured either they would part ways but remain friends who maybe saw each other once or twice a year, or they would have to really commit to pursuing a real relationship. She knew they wouldn't be able to casually date considering they lived in different countries, so she saw it as an all-or-nothing situation. If it was going to end up falling into the "nothing" category, she wanted to know sooner rather than later so she could prepare herself mentally for it. "Fuck," she muttered under her breath as she walked back into the bedroom and placed the clothes she had been wearing back into her suitcase.

"You okay?" Regina asked. She was sitting on the bed in that same grey satin pajama set she had been wearing that morning, rubbing lotion onto her legs and arms.

Emma forced herself to look Regina in the eyes, even though she really wanted to drift her gaze to the tan legs that were shimmering thanks to the lotion. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Regina raised a skeptical brow, as she pulled back the covers on the other side of the bed, extending an unneeded invitation to Emma. "You sure about that? Or do you always swear at your clothing before you turn in for the night?" she laughed.

"You heard that?" Emma asked as she sat down next to Regina, sliding her feet under the duvet. "I thought I said that in my head."

"Yeah, you definitely said it out loud," Regina confirmed, before her tone turned serious. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I am. I was just thinking…Good God these are comfortable" she said, leaning back against the pillows and temporarily distracting herself.

Regina rolled over onto her right side and looked at Emma, softly brushing a stray piece of hair off her face. "What were you thinking?" She probed.

Emma let out a sigh. "Just that today was pretty much perfect, and that I'm really enjoying my time here," she smiled genuinely. "I like spending time with you."

"And that makes you say 'fuck', why?" She questioned, before realization hit her. "Oh. Are you concerned about what happens after this week?"

Emma looked up at her in shock, rolling onto her left side to match Regina's position as she faced her. "How did you know that?"

Regina let out a sardonic chuckle. "Because that thought crossed my mind more than once today." She reached out and grasped Emma's hand that was resting in between them on the bed, threading their fingers together as she tugged her a little closer so their faces were only inches apart. She looked down at their hands as she used her thumb to trace patterns on Emma's palm, but she said nothing.

Emma watched Regina closely, smiling at the feel of her thumb moving softly against her skin, but couldn't take the silence. "And have you come to any conclusions?" Emma finally asked when the silence got to be too much.

Regina looked back up at Emma, focusing her eyes on the delicate features of the woman in front of her. Releasing her hand, she moved her hand to cup Emma's cheek before closing the space and crashing her lips into hers. Unlike their previous kisses since Emma arrival, this one was not only full of desire but filled with more underlying emotion than Regina knew how to handle. She pulled Emma toward her so their bodies were melted together, her left thigh sliding over Emma's hip, pulling her even closer. When they broke the kiss so they could take a breath, Regina rolled onto her back and wiped away a tear that had formed in the corner of her eye.

"Hey," Emma said softly, propping herself up on her arm and looking down at the woman next to her. She noticed another stray tear and wiped it away before Regina could. She let her hand continue its trail, moving gently down her neck until it ultimately came to rest just above Regina's heart and absentmindedly played with the strap of her camisole.

"I don't want you to go," Regina blurted out when she finally met the green eyes staring back at her. "That's what I was thinking about earlier...how much I don't want you to leave in a few days."

"Good, because I don't want to go, either…but I have to, eventually." Emma smiled sadly as she let herself drop down to the pillow.

"I know that," Regina said, rolling back onto her side and nuzzling herself into the crook of Emma's neck. "I have to leave, too, and go back to Halifax."

"Yep."

"It sucks."

"Yep," Emma sighed. "Do you want to have this conversation now or should we wait until the end of this week?"

Regina pulled back and looked up at the blonde, who looked dejected. Regina was nervous, because she knew what she wanted, but she wasn't sure what Emma was thinking. She was pretty sure, but she had never been the best at reading signals in her previous relationships. "I think it will stress us out more if we put it off…"

"Okay," Emma nodded as she took a breath, terrified by what she was about to admit. "You know that generally I suck at relationships of any kind, which is why I have never bothered with them in the past, and I know we said this week was going to be casual to see how we feel about each other, but all it's done for me is confirm that I want you in my life, and I don't want this to end. I am completely in this," she rambled.

Regina bent down to kiss Emma, smiling into her lips. "I want that, too. I don't know how this will logistically work once you're back in Storybrooke and when I'm filming in Halifax, but I really want us to try. I haven't felt this way about anyone in long time…actually, I don't think I've ever felt this way about anyone else in my life," Regina confessed. "I don't want to scare you off, but I can see myself falling for you."

Emma let out a sigh of relief, pulling Regina down toward her and kissing her yet again. "Thank God," she laughed, settling back into the pillows.

"So does this mean you're officially, like, my girlfriend?" Regina asked with a wide grin.

"I like the sound of that," she replied before yawning.

Regina chuckled. "Okay, you need sleep." She got up to turn off the light switch, and by the time she walked back over to the bed, Emma had rolled over her to face the opposite side and was already asleep. Regina moved over, wrapping her arm around Emma's waist and pulling her against her, placing a soft kiss on the back of her shoulder before falling asleep.

* * *

 **A/N:** I had not planned to have them have that conversation this early, but it just kind of happened so I let it. This chapter was a lot of fluff, and ended up being longer than I ever planned it to be.

Too much fluff? Not enough drama? Let me know what you think. (Don't worry, there will be some drama ahead to keep things interesting). **  
**


	5. Chapter 5: Setting the Stage

**A/N:** Here's another long-ish chapter :) And to the guest reviewer who asked how it will work with Robin still in the picture, I can't reply directly to you since you weren't logged in, but I'll say this: trust that I have my endgame planned, and in the meantime Robin is out camping somewhere so he won't be seen again for quite some time :) It's still early in SQ's relationship/they've only physically seen each other 6 or 7 days out of the 3 months they've "known" each other, so it's still early. There's a lot to come, and hopefully you will all enjoy where I take this. Thanks for reading!

* * *

 _Day Three: August 23, 6am_

When Regina awoke the next morning, it was to the feeling of a nose and lips nuzzling into her neck. Sometime during the night they had switched positions, because Regina distinctly remembered falling asleep as the "big spoon." But now, the blonde was wrapped around her instead and she had no objection to the turn of events. It felt nice to be held securely in someone's arms. "Good morning," she murmured as she opened one eye to check the time on the digital clock beside the bed: 6:02. She closed her eyes again and snuggled back into the woman behind her.

"Good morning," the blonde responded, placing a kiss on the back of Regina's neck. "What time do you have to head to your interview?"

"Shit, I forgot about that," Regina whined as she opened her eyes again and rolled onto her back, looking up at the woman next to her. "Our segment is at 8:30, so I need to be there around 7am, which means I should be getting up right about now. My alarm will go off in a few minutes." She wrinkled her nose in distaste, as she really wanted to go back to sleep.

Emma giggled as she watched the brunette pout. "Why don't you take a shower and get ready, and I'll go make breakfast and coffee?"

"That sounds wonderful, thank you," she replied, pulling Emma down for a quick kiss before she forced herself to roll out of bed.

Twenty minutes later, Regina walked downstairs to find a bowl of steelcut oats and fresh berries on the island waiting for her, along with a large cup of coffee. "I could get used to this," she commented as she sat next to Emma at the counter. "You are a lifesaver."

"My pleasure," Emma said as she took a bite of her own oatmeal.

Regina let her eyes roam the woman next to her. Emma was dressed in black mesh cropped leggings and a loose royal blue racerback tank, while her long blonde hair was pulled up into a bun on the top of her head. "I take it you found a class to take this morning?"

She nodded. "I did. There's a yoga studio downtown that has a class at 7:15, and then a contemporary company that has an open ballet class at 8:45."

"Do you want a ride?"

"Sure, if it's not out of the way for you. Otherwise I can call a cab."

"No need. The TV studio is downtown, so I can drop you off at least somewhere nearby. What time will you be done?"

"The class ends at 10:15."

"Perfect. Our magazine interview shouldn't take long, so I can swing by afterward. We should head out soon, though. There shouldn't be much traffic at this time, but I don't want to be late."

 ***.*.***

"Fifteen minutes," the stage manager said as she popped her head into the green room.

"Thank you," Regina said, watching as the _Good Morning, Montreal_ hairstylist finished applying product to her straightened hair before leaving the room with the stage manager. She snapped a quick photo for Snapchat and Instagram stories, giving a thumbs up in the mirror.

"So how is your _friend_?" Gold asked as he sat on the sofa across the room. "There were a lot of comments on the photo of you two at Robin's restaurant last night."

Regina internally rolled her eyes. "She's fine," she said, not leaving any room for further discussion. "Hey, I wanted to ask you…when are you making the announcement about the musical episode?"

"Probably another month or two. Why?"

"Really? That long?"

Gold nodded. "I want people to be excited for the season premiere. I don't want the musical to overshadow that. And it gives us something to use to build more hype later to keep people excited for the rest of the season."

"Ah, makes sense," she started to say as her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and groaned. She didn't want to answer it, but at least she was on the clock and only had a few minutes to spare. If she let it go to voicemail she would be dragged into a much longer conversation. She resigned herself and swiped her finger to accept the call. "Hello, Mother."

"Hello, dear. You don't sound too excited to hear from me," Regina heard her mother say into the phone.

"Well, Gold and I are about to go on for a live interview in a few minutes, so I am trying to focus on that."

"Then I will keep this short. I am only in town a few more days and I would like to have lunch with my dear daughter. I expect to see you at the club tomorrow at noon…by yourself."

Regina sighed. "Fine, mother. I think that can work."

"Don't think, Regina. Make it happen. Have a good interview." Cora hung up before Regina had a chance to respond, causing Regina to look at her phone in surprise before grunting her displeasure.

"Trouble in family land?" Gold chuckled from his seat on the sofa.

Regina threw her phone back in her bag. "Shut up," she said, walking toward the door that would lead toward the stage. "Let's go get this over with so I can get back to my vacation."

"Ah, yes. I am sure you have lots of things to do," Gold said with a twisted grin as he stood up to follow her out.

 ***.*.***

Regina sighed as she sat in the driver's seat of her Mercedes after getting the car back from the valet at the studio. She let her head fall against the headrest, closing her eyes as she took a few deep breaths. Both the morning show and magazine interview went relatively well, but it was an exhausting experience, as usual. She always felt anxious at those events, worrying that she might accidentally let information slip about the upcoming season that was supposed to remain secret, not to mention always being mindful of what she said about her personal life. The fact that Robert Gold was sitting next to her during both interviews that morning and literally breathing down her neck didn't help. Since Montréal was her home base when she wasn't filming, both the morning show and the local lifestyle magazine focused on her connection with the city and inevitably her husband and kids who lived there. She had caught Gold's fake plastered smile in her peripheral vision while she talked about how happy she was to be home. She had mentioned that Robin and the boys were out of town for part of her vacation at home, but she got to see them before they left and would have a few days of uninterrupted time with them before she returned to Nova Scotia for filming. "It's hard, of course, to keep such opposite schedules and to be apart for so long, but when you love each other you make it work," she had said, noticing that the journalist was eating it up.

She collected her thoughts and pulled out into downtown traffic, heading toward the dance studio where Emma said she would be. It was only a short drive, and she was easily able to find a metered spot out in front. She looked at her watch and noted that Emma's class still had ten minutes to go, so she decided to head in and see if she would be able to watch the last few minutes. Regina kept her sunglasses on and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, hoping that she might avoid being recognized.

If the receptionist at the studio recognized her, she didn't acknowledge it. Instead, she politely pointed Regina down the hallway toward the large studio at the back of the building. As she walked down the corridor, she saw a large group of young girls in pink and black leotards standing by the large windowed walls of the studio, clearly watching the professionals while waiting for their own classes to start. She quietly approached so as not to draw attention to herself, and she overheard the girls complimenting the company dancers and speaking about them with awe and adoration. Regina smiled as she found Emma standing among the dancers in the studio, lining up along the back wall and waiting for her turn. Emma and another dancer took their spot in the corner before gracefully completing a series of turns and leaps diagonally across the floor. Regina felt herself holding her breath as Emma jetéd, floating effortlessly to the front corner of the room.

Far too soon, the class was over and the dancers exited the back studio, many of them stopping to greet the girls who had been watching through the windows. "Hey, you," Regina heard, temporarily distracted by the kids excitedly fawning over their heroes.

She turned around to face the blonde at her side. "Hey. You were great in there. I could watch you dance all day."

Emma would have blushed if she wasn't already red from her exertion in class. "Thanks."

"How was class?"

"It was great. I haven't taken a ballet class like that in far too long. It almost felt like I was back at the company in New York, except less stressful," Emma replied as she wiped off some excess sweat with a towel. "How were your interviews?"

"They were fine. Same as usual," Regina responded. Before she could say much more, a tall brunette approached them.

"Emma, it was great to see you again," she said. "You should come by more often."

Emma smiled. "Maybe. Regina," she said, turning to her girlfriend. "This is Lily. Lily, this is my friend Regina."

Lily gasped as she recognized the woman and extended her hand. "Oh! Wow, it's nice to meet you."

Regina raised a brow that was hidden behind her sunglasses as she shook the other woman's hand. "Likewise…"

"Lily was my roommate at the performing arts high school in Minneapolis my junior and senior year," Emma explained. "I haven't seen her in years, but it turns out she's the new assistant director and member of the company here. I had no idea."

"Well, it's literally only been 3 weeks since I joined the company, so you're not that far behind," Lily said, nudging Emma with her elbow.

"Oh," Regina said as she took in what Emma said. "That's a small world."

"Yeah, the dance world tends to be," Lily offered, smiling at the blonde. "Anyway, Em, it really was great to see you. I have to head to rehearsal right now, but I'd love to see you again before you head back to the States if you have time. Here's my number," she said, handing her a slip of paper and giving her a quick hug before turning to head back into the studio.

Emma tossed the paper in her bag and turned to Regina. "Ready to head back?"

"Uh-huh," Regina said, her eyes still following the brunette who had just left. When the woman disappeared into the mix of dancers inside the studio, Regina turned back to face Emma. "Yeah, let's go."

 ***.*.***

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Regina commented as she stared at the woman in front of her.

"Hey, it was your husband's idea, so blame him," Emma chuckled in response. The two women were standing in the yoga studio on the seventh floor of Regina's building. Regina was holding the barre along one of the mirrored walls, while Emma was across the room plugging her phone into the sound system and setting up Regina's phone to record it. "You need to make the announcement explaining who I am, and we need some pictures or videos or something to make this look real. At least I'm not making you wear a leotard, tights, and a tutu."

Regina flipped her off as she stood at the barre in her leggings and tank, lightly stretching. "Okay, so what should we do first?"

"Well, you used to dance, right? And back in Portland you did say you might be up for taking one of my classes sometime, so I can take you through some basics and see what you remember. Or, we can just stage a few pictures and be done with it," Emma said as she approached Regina at the barre.

"We may as well take advantage of the space and having you here. So, let's see how good of a teacher you really are," Regina smirked. While she was intending to goad the woman, she did genuinely want to learn. She always loved dancing and had missed it.

Emma smiled. "Challenge accepted."

She led her through some basic barrework, impressed by Regina's muscle memory. The older woman may not have taken a ballet class in decades, but her basic technique was still there. She was hardly starting from scratch, and she could hold her own. "How did that feel?" Emma asked as they paused after ten minutes for a water break.

"Good, but I feel awkward. I feel like I don't have the fluidity that I used to."

Emma nodded. "Okay. Well, you're going to be doing actual choreography for the musical episode, so we can work on some combinations to practice putting things together and work on your musicality now that you're warmed up. That should feel better than barre basics."

"Sounds great. Let's do it."

Emma taught Regina a short jazz combination from one of the classes she taught earlier that summer. Regina was physically capable of performing the steps, but she still looked a little stiff and uncomfortable. "Don't worry, you'll get there. It takes time," Emma said after hearing Regina sigh in exasperation. "You just need to get comfortable with the movement and loosen up a little bit. You're overthinking. But for this being your first 'class' since you were a teenager, you're doing remarkably well."

Regina chuckled. "Thanks, but I'm a perfectionist and I used to be relatively good at this, so it's just frustrating. What would you suggest so that I'm not so awkward?"

Emma paused to think for a minute before letting out an "oh" of realization. She went over to the sound system, turned off the Halsey song they had been dancing to and pulled up a playlist of songs she used in her contemporary class. "Let's slow it down so you can focus more on your internal musicality rather than putting on a show. I think if we work on that, the performance element will come naturally once you get more comfortable, because you are so good at what you do," Emma said as she scrolled through the list to look for a good song choice. "Rather than me giving you choreography, let's work on some improv. It'll help you feel connected to your body."

"Emma, I'm married to a guy I don't sleep with. I'm plenty connected to my body. That's not the problem," Regina commented as she raised an eyebrow.

"That's so not what I meant, but thanks for that image," Emma laughed and tried not to blush as she refocused on their conversation. "Just listen to the music and don't think about trying to make the movement perfect or trying to incorporate certain steps. Just listen and portray the music with your body. Don't even worry about the lyrics. Think about the underlying melody and rhythm and message of the song."

"Yeah, because that won't be awkward at all," Regina rolled her eyes.

"It will feel awkward, it always does, but it'll help. And besides, even this ends up failing spectacularly, I'm the only one here to see it. Let go of your self-judgment and run with it." Regina looked skeptical, so Emma continued. "Would it help you if I didn't watch you while you do it? Your phone is still recording so if you want we can watch it later, but if it'll make you feel less self-conscious I can turn around. Or I can do it too so you're not doing it by yourself."

"Somehow I don't think having a gorgeous professional dancer improv-ing next to me is going to help with the self-confidence thing," Regina said, but with a playful lilt underlying her self-deprecation.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Okay, how about this. I think improv will really help you. But, what if instead of us improv-ing side by side in our own worlds, we work together? It's called contact improv, so we use each other to guide our movements."

"How does that work?"

"Think of it like any scene you do with another person. You have to play off of their response when you're acting out dialogue, right? So, think of this like movement dialogue," Emma said, setting her phone down and walking over to Regina. She extended her right arm out and lightly brushed her elbow across the outside of Regina's shoulder, nudging her slightly and causing the woman to take a step backward instinctively. Emma then caught Regina's forearm and gently tugged her forward, causing her to take two steps toward her until their shoulders made contact and held that position. "When you feel me connect, you respond. You can let me guide the movement, or you can push back gently and make me react to you. It isn't about crazy partnering skills or lifts or tricks or anything like that, and it's not about creating pretty shapes. It's about listening to your partner and responding, working together to create organic movement that wouldn't necessarily be possible without another person. The main thing is to always try to keep in contact with each other, even if it's just your pinky finger," Emma said, releasing Regina's forearm that she was still holding and letting her pinky slide down her wrist until their hands met. "Let that point of contact be the impetus for your movement."

"You really think this will help?"

Emma nodded. "I do, as long as you keep an open mind about it and relax. Just listen to the music, and if it helps you can close your eyes so you're not tempted to watch yourself in the mirror and can let go of the self-judgement that would naturally happen. The other important part is to move slowly, so that we don't accidentally smack each other, and so we have time to respond to what the other is doing. This is also a good exercise is building trust, if we end up sharing weight at any point. I promise I won't let you fall."

"Okay."

Emma smiled and jogged back over to the stereo. She turned on the shuffle setting and "Arms" by Christina Perri started to play. "Ready?" She asked as she walked back toward the center of the studio. Regina nodded her head as Emma approached her. "Great. Let's start simple, and don't overthink. I'll lead at first, but when you feel ready feel free to take over, and then we'll fall into a rhythm to the point where we won't know who is leading and who is following."

Emma led Regina through the movement, and by the first chorus she could already tell Regina was loosening up and sinking into the music. They had started off primarily using their hands as the point of contact, but as the song went on they started playing with their hips, backs, and torsos as the focal point. Regina was picking up the concept quickly, and Emma smiled when she saw she had her eyes closed. Emma decided to play with a few weight transfers, guiding Regina toward her until she was bent slightly forward and Regina was draped across her back, both of her feet leaving the floor for a few seconds until Emma gently put her back down. Emma softly said "Good," wanting to praise Regina for completely relaxing into it and trusting her, but not wanting to say much more that would pull her out of the moment.

They kept moving even after the song ended and another came through the speakers. Regina had become more comfortable and Emma felt her starting to lead, which she eagerly allowed. Eventually, she pushed back a bit, until it was truly a mutual call and response. Emma had done contact improv with countless other dancers over the years, but it never seemed to flow this easily. Even though Regina wasn't a highly trained dancer, her movement was remarkably intuitive and they had started to breathe in synchronicity. They experimented with different movement patterns and levels, dropping down to their knees before standing back up again, and eventually making their way to the ground to practice some floorwork. Emma was lying on her back with her knees bent, and Regina was kneeling with her torso lightly pressed against Emma's legs. She reached her arms forward and Emma caught her, pulling Regina toward her and carefully lifting her off the ground so that she was supporting Regina's weight on her shins and holding her arms firmly to help her balance. Emma watched as Regina let out a breath, balancing and enjoying the feeling of being suspended in the air. She carefully lowered her knees back down until Regina could place her feet back on the ground, their hands still connected by Emma's shoulders. As Regina's feet made contact with the floor, she caught Emma's gaze and lowered herself on top of the blonde, squeezing her hand gently as she leaned in to kiss her. Emma instinctively brought one of her hands to the back of Regina's neck, pulling her closer as one of her legs wrapped around Regina's hips, causing Regina to roll slightly to the side and rest her legs on either side of Emma's other thigh. The brunette quietly moaned as she felt herself brush against her and deepened the kiss in response. It wasn't until the song ended and the room was silent once more, aside from their own audible breaths, that they pulled back. Regina rolled off of Emma as the blonde sat up and chuckled. "That's not quite how that was supposed to go."

"Sorry," Regina said, looking sheepish.

"Don't be. I'm not complaining." Emma said, lightly nudging the other woman as she stood up and extended her hand to Regina, helping her stand up. "Do you want to try the jazz dance again now that you're a little more relaxed?" Regina nodded so Emma put Halsey's "Castle" back on, leading Regina through the choreography again. "That was so much better!" she said when they were done, walking over to unplug her phone from the stereo and to stop the recording on Regina's phone. "You might want to edit the end of our improv out before you post any clips online," Emma said, winking as she handed her the phone back.

"You think?" Regina smiled as she took it. "Seriously though, you were right. That really did help me get out of my own head."

"I hate to say 'I told you so,' but…" she grinned.

 ***.*.***

"What's all this?" Emma asked as she entered the kitchen after taking a quick shower. She had changed into a pair of knit shorts and a black ribbed tank top, and her wet hair was pulled into a loose side braid.

"I make a killer lasagna, so I thought we would have a casual night in tonight."

"That sounds amazing. Can I help?"

"Everything is pretty much assembled. I just have to throw it in the oven, and then I'm going to shower. If I'm not back when the oven beeps in a half hour, can you take it out, uncover it, and then throw it back in for another 15 minutes?" Regina asked as she covered the dish with aluminum foil.

"Of course. Take your time."

Regina carefully placed the lasagna in the oven and set the timer. "Oh, I will," she said, walking around the island to where Emma was standing. She placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "After our little dance class earlier, I might need to feel connected with body again," she whispered before walking away, laughing when she heard Emma groan. "There are supplies in the fridge for a salad. Feel free to throw something together to go with the lasagna, if you'd like," she called over her shoulder as she walked up the stairs toward her room.

Emma sighed and stood up, making her way toward the fridge to see what ingredients she could use to make a side salad. It was the least she could do since Regina made the main dish, not to mention Emma needed a distraction after what Regina had said. She knew she was most likely kidding, but she couldn't help but think about it. Aside from the conversation her first day in town when they both assured each other that they would take things at their own pace and there wouldn't be any pressure to progress their physical relationship any further that week, they hadn't talked any more about it.

Emma had to admit she was curious. She knew she was extremely attracted to Regina, but she was also nervous because she had never been with a woman before, and even her experience with men was extremely limited — there was only the one from her ballet company when she was in her mid-twenties, and that ended horribly and wasn't worth her while. She hadn't really been attracted to him in the first place, but she was 25 at the time and figured she had waited long enough. As she thought back about it, it occurred to her that maybe she should have realized she was interested in women sooner, but she had been so focused on her training that it wasn't on her mind. She didn't know any lesbians, as none of the female dancers in her company were gay, so it never even occurred to her that she might be. She knew Regina was likely nervous about it, too, since she had confessed that it had been 15 years since she had been with Mal, and she and Robin had only fumbled around a few times before realizing they weren't compatible in that way. She also figured that Regina was at least thinking about escalating their relationship, given her statement before she left the kitchen and the way she had responded when they kissed in the studio. Emma contemplated bringing it up, but she didn't want to make things awkward. She figured she'd take her own advice from their improv session earlier that day, letting things develop naturally and taking her cue from Regina. She figured the brunette had more at stake, given the situation of her marriage and career, so Emma would let her set the pace.

She was stirred from her thoughts when she heard the oven beep, so she removed the foil from the lasagna and set the timer for an additional 15 minutes, just as Regina had asked. She had gone back to slicing and removing the pits from some olives she found in the fridge when she heard Regina's voice. "Oh, that looks good," she said as she re-entered the kitchen.

Emma briefly took in the woman's appearance, once again noting that she would always find Regina gorgeous, no matter what she was wearing. The brunette didn't have any makeup on, her feet were bare, and she was wearing a simple pair of black leggings and a faded black "The Doors" tee shirt that had a tiny hole in the seam of the neck, likely from years of wear. Her short hair was still wet, and Emma smiled at the natural curls that were coming through. Regina caught her staring and Emma blushed. "Thanks. I hope Caesar salad is okay with you?" Emma removed the cubed baguette she had thrown in the oven to make croutons and poured them over the salad.

"Perfect," she smiled, leaning over the counter to quickly kiss the blonde before joining Emma in the prep space of the kitchen. "It looks like you're just about done with that. Want a glass of wine before dinner? There are still a few minutes left before the lasagna will be ready," she said, poking her head into the oven to check.

Emma nodded and Regina opened a bottle of pinot noir, handing Emma a glass. They drank the wine in relative silence, but they held each other's gaze. Emma could feel the tension building in the room, and when the oven beeped to signal the lasagna was finally done, both women laughed. Regina quickly placed a slice on each plate, and then filled the rest of the white dish with Emma's salad. They decided to eat in the dining room rather than the island, since it was a heartier meal. Regina flipped a switch on the wall and the double-sided fireplace roared to life. "Oh God, this is amazing, Regina," Emma complimented as she took a bite of the lasagna. "You weren't kidding when you said you make a killer lasagna."

"Thank you, dear," Regina said as she smiled. She returned the compliment, impressed that Emma had made a light Caesar dressing from scratch. They continued to talk over dinner, flirting now-and-then when the opportunity presented itself, but staying away from anything that could be interpreted as innuendo.

Despite Regina's insistence that Emma was a guest and shouldn't be put to work, Emma helped Regina clear the table and rinse the dishes before they both settled on the couch to watch a movie. Regina stretched out and pulled Emma down so the blonde's back was resting against her chest and her own legs were on either side of the Emma's. "Want to help me pick the photo to post to introduce you to the world?" Regina asked as she grabbed her phone off the end table behind her.

"Oh, yeah," Emma replied. Regina unlocked her phone and opened the photo album and handed it to Emma so they could both see. "I only took video, but we can pause it and take a screenshot," Emma suggested. They quickly stopped paying attention to the movie on the TV as they watched the full 45 minutes of footage they had captured on Regina's phone, pausing a few times to take a screenshot of Regina at the barre or of Emma teaching Regina the choreography.

"We look really good together," Regina commented as they watched the improv exercise Emma had suggested.

"Yeah, we really do." They were both quiet as they watched the short but intense impromptu make out session at the end of it, before watching the final run-through of the piece Emma had choreographed. "You were amazing that last time, Regina. I can't wait to see what they give you for the musical episode."

"Thanks. I couldn't have done it without you. The last time was 100 times better than when I did it earlier, and it's all because of that improv thing. I'm glad you made me do it."

"It was fun," she smiled as she looked up at the woman positioned behind her. Regina bent down to take her phone back, giving Emma a quick kiss as she did so.

"How about this one?" Regina asked, scrolling through the screenshots Emma had taken and selecting one where Emma was helping Regina with her arm placement for one of the poses in the jazz combination. "This looks innocent enough, right?"

"I like it," she said.

"Okay, perfect." Regina quickly edited the photo and posted it along with the selfie they took in the boutique mirror the day before when they were trying on scarves, quickly captioning the photo: _'You have all been asking, so I'm excited to officially introduce you all to 'EmmaSwanDances'. I met her in Portland when I was in town for the Con and her dance company was performing nearby. She graciously offered to visit during her time off to train me for an upcoming project that I can't yet reveal, but stay tuned because it will be announced in the next month or two. In the meantime, be sure to check out her page and her company 'EmKiDanceCollective' to see her brilliant work.'_ Regina handed Emma the phone so she could see the post. "All set."

"Oh wow, you didn't have to promote EmKi, Regina, but I appreciate it."

"Oh please, it's the least I could do. You're extremely talented, Emma. You and Killian both are."

Emma smiled in gratitude and texted a few of the screenshots to herself, along with a short clip. "Do you mind if I post one or two from my account? It might help sell the story."

Regina shrugged. "Go for it. Just, please, nothing embarrassing."

Emma laughed as she grabbed her own phone of the coffee table, saving the clips she had sent herself and posting one of her teaching Regina a short phrase that resulted in both of them cracking up: _'Working with 'ReginaMills' has been a blast. I can't wait for you to see her in action. The woman has some serious moves.'_

"That's cute," Regina said, watching over Emma's shoulder as she posted the video. "And hopefully now this will get Gold and the fans off my back."

They both set their phones down and relaxed back into the couch, trying to focus on the movie that was nearly half over and that they had been neglecting. Regina rested her hand on Emma's thigh, absentmindedly letting her fingers drag up to her knee and back down to the hem of her shorts. Emma relaxed into her touch, silently hoping Regina would indicate that she wanted to take it further. After a while, her movements became more subtle, and Regina's hand came to rest on the top of Emma's thigh, tracing barely noticeable circles over the skin. "That feels nice," Emma commented, hoping to encourage her.

"Yeah?" Regina asked, looking down at the blonde who had leaned her head back on her chest.

"Mmhmm," Emma nodded and smiled before turning her attention back to the TV, pretending to be nonchalant but internally on edge while she anticipated Regina's next move. Regina continued lightly massaging her thigh and hip, and Emma could feel the woman tense and her breath hitch behind her, indicating it was having the same effect on Regina as it was on her. A few minutes later, Emma decided to make a bold decision and casually shifted her hips to the side under Regina's fingers, resulting in the woman's hand lightly resting at the juncture between her legs.

Regina noticed and stilled her fingers' movement, but didn't move her hand away. She wasn't sure if Emma's slight change in position was intentional or just an act of restlessness, and she didn't want to assume anything and push her too far. She took a deep breath. "Emma…" she started, her voice hoarse and her fingers barely twitching as she did so.

Emma looked up again and met Regina's eyes with her own, reaching her hand up to pull the woman toward her for a kiss, only to pull away and whisper, "Please."


	6. Chapter 6: The Offer

**A/N:** So, now I'm procrastinating _Queen to Play_ because it only has two chapters left and I'm not ready for it to end, so instead I wrote more of this one. I'm super excited for where this is going, so I got on a roll and cranked out a few more chapters, which I'll be posting over the next few weeks. But for now, here's an early update. Also, all the upcoming chapters seem to be getting longer, so that was a fun surprise as I wrote it. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 ** _Day Four: August 24, 9am_**

"I wish I knew what my mother was planning," Regina said as she ran her fingers through Emma's hair, lightly scratching the top of her head. They had woken up fifteen minutes earlier, and after a lazy make out session they were still in bed wrapped in each other's arms, delaying the start of their day.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"She always has some ulterior motive. Lunch with Cora Mills is never just lunch. I wish I could bring you with me as backup. Are you sure you're okay to hang out by yourself for a bit?"

"I'll be fine. Maybe I'll treat myself to one of those LUSH bath bombs," Emma said with a smirk, lightly running her fingernail along Regina's thigh, over her hip, and up her stomach. By the time they had finished watching the movie the night before, and between their dance session earlier in the afternoon and their adventure on the sofa, they were both too tired to bother changing into their usual sleepwear. They had collapsed on Regina's bed as soon as they made it up the stairs. Emma was happy Regina had at least taken off her leggings, so she was appreciating the sight of the brunette in her vintage band tee and the black lace hipster panties she was wearing. "Or I might go take another class."

Regina tensed slightly under Emma's fingertips. "With Lily?" When Emma nodded, Regina sighed, contemplating the question she was afraid to ask. "Did anything ever happen there?"

Emma pushed herself up so she could look at Regina, surprised by the question. "No. I had never even kissed another woman until I met you. We were too preoccupied with our training to ever think about any experimentation or whatever normal high school girls do when they're figuring out their sexuality. I don't think Lily is even into women. But even if she is, you have nothing to worry about," she replied, leaning in to kiss Regina. "But, you're cute when you're jealous."

"I'm not jealous," Regina retorted. "She just seemed overly affectionate, so I was curious."

"Uh huh," Emma said, laying back down on the bed and rolling on top of Regina, placing a featherlike kiss on Regina's collarbone. "I'm sure that's true." She shifted a little so her thigh fell between Regina's. She pressed gently until she heard the woman beneath her moan, and then she pulled her thigh back, until she was no longer touching her.

Regina ran her fingers through Emma's hair and tugged gently, pulling her back up to her lips and capturing them in a fierce kiss. The movement caused Emma to unintentionally push her thigh against her again, causing Regina to reflexively grind down and hum in response. "Emma?" She said, pulling her lips away momentarily, her eyes growing dark.

"Hmm?" Emma breathed out, licking Regina's lower lip.

"Don't start something you can't finish," she managed to say.

"Who says I can't finish it?" Emma asked as she grinned at the woman below her, raising an eyebrow as she pressed her leg against Regina again, watching as Regina closed her eyes at the sensation.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like you have to."

Emma didn't respond, instead she tilted her head down to kiss her again. She made her way over to her ear and whispered, "I didn't get to properly thank you for last night, and you have no idea how much I want to…tell me what you need. Tell me what to do." She flicked Regina's earlobe with her tongue before she nibbled gently on it, waiting for Regina to find her words.

Regina bit her lip as she nodded and moaned, feeling Emma press into her again. "Flip over and bend your knee. More leverage."

Emma wasn't expecting that reply, but she happily complied, rolling to the empty side of the bed and pulling Regina with her as she kept her thigh firmly placed between Regina's. The brunette went willingly as she ended up on top of Emma, ending in a position not unlike the one they had found themselves in the day before on the floor of the yoga studio. Regina kissed her as she let her knees fall wider, bringing her flush against Emma's muscular thigh. She rocked her hips forward as she continued to get lost in the kiss, feeling the blonde's hands roam over her ass to pull her closer and aiding her movement. Regina reached behind her and placed her hands over Emma's, slowly moving them around to the front of her hips. Pulling back from the kiss, she sat up and held Emma's gaze as she guided Emma's hands until her thumbs were in line with where she needed them. Emma responded, pressing gently in a small circular pattern as she watched Regina tilt her head back and bite her lip. When Regina collapsed forward again, she brought her own hands to rest on Emma's cheek as she kissed her and whispered "Don't stop," before sitting up again.

Emma continued her motions and watched the woman above her in awe. She had always thought Regina was beautiful, but seeing her like this was more than she could have imagined. The next thing Emma knew Regina had placed one of her hands over one of her own, keeping it in place as she pulled the blonde woman up from her reclined position on the bed so that she, too, was sitting up. She brought her in for a searing kiss, and Emma brought her free hand up to Regina's waist as she kissed her back. She slid her fingers under Regina's shirt as she kissed down her neck, delighting in her discovery that Regina had not been wearing a bra since she had come down from her shower the night before. Her thumb grazed the small metal barbell she had discovered that morning months ago in Regina's Portland hotel room, and Emma loved the sound Regina made when she brushed against it. Emma managed to push Regina's t-shirt up high enough to rest on top of her breasts, bending forward to flick the exposed piercing with her tongue. Regina responded by pressing harder into Emma's thumb and thigh as she wrapped her arms around the blonde's shoulders, holding Emma in place. Emma continued circling the silver jewel with her tongue and finally slipped her thumb under the lace edge of Regina's panties, relishing as she watched the woman writhe in pleasure as she came undone above her. "Fuck," Emma whispered as Regina continued to gasp, unable to tear her eyes away from the woman's still-exposed breasts that continued to rise and fall with each breath, mercifully right at Emma's eyelevel. "God, you're gorgeous," she said, placing a chaste kiss on Regina's sternum.

Regina let out a throaty chuckle as she ran a hand through her dark curls, wiping a few stray hairs off her face. "I could say the same about you, dear," she said when she could finally speak again, cupping Emma's jaw with her hand and running her thumb across her lower lip before capturing it with her own. "That was amazing."

"Really?" Emma asked, somewhat skeptical since she legitimately had no idea what she was doing, not to mention Regina had done most of the work.

"Oh yeah," Regina said, carefully extracting herself from the blonde's lap and falling back down onto the bed. She pulled her shirt down as she did so and laughed when Emma pouted. She looked up at the woman who was still seated, grabbing her arm and pulling her down into an embrace. "Definitely."

"Good, because I thoroughly enjoyed that," Emma smiled.

Regina leaned over to kiss her again, running her hand across the blonde's thigh, feeling the residual evidence of their activities. "You might want to shower, though," Regina laughed as she pulled back.

"I will, in a minute," she stated as she closed her eyes.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you should make that a cold shower?" she suggested when she saw Emma trying to force herself to relax. "Or," she started, leaning closer to the her and lowering her voice, "we do have some time before we have to be up. I'm more than happy to lend a hand…or a thigh."

 ***.*.***

Regina parked her Mercedes in the side lot of the country club, cracking her windows slightly to help prevent the black leather interior from getting even hotter in the August sun. She fished out her phone to check her messages as she walked toward the entrance to the clubhouse. She smiled when she saw a text from her girlfriend: _'Successfully navigated the public transit system and made it to the studio ;) Enjoy lunch with your mother. I hope it goes better than you expect.'_ Regina typed out a quick reply to congratulate Emma on not getting lost. Regina had offered to drop Emma off at the dance studio, but Emma had declined, saying that she had missed taking buses and trains after moving out of New York, so she wanted to relive the experience. Regina knew it was bullshit, but she appreciated Emma's effort. Over breakfast, Emma had picked up on Regina's anxiety about the pending lunch with her mother and sensed that the brunette needed some time to herself to work through it. Playing chauffeur to Emma wouldn't help, so Emma had said she would take the transit line in early so she could explore a bit, while Regina treated herself to a bubble bath before heading out to the dreaded lunch.

As she arrived at the front desk to check in as a guest, her phone dinged again with a new message, this time from Gold: _'Dance coach? Really?'_

She grunted as she quickly shot off a reply. _'Yes, really. I wanted a bit of a headstart for the musical.'_

His reply was almost immediate. _'I see. And where is your dedicated instructor now?'_

 _'She's taking class with the contemporary dance company downtown right now, and I'm about to go to lunch with my mother, so I will not be available for your incessant questions about everything I do. Have a good day, Gold,'_ she typed back.

"There you are, dear," Regina heard her mother's voice carry across the lobby. She watched as her mother looked over her appearance, scrutinizing every detail and picking a nonexistent piece of lint off the white blazer Regina wore over her olive green maxi dress.

"I told you I'd be here, Mother. I know better than to stand you up," she said as she obliged and kissed her mother's cheek.

"Why do you still have your keys? Why didn't you give them to the valet?"

Regina looked down at the keys to the Benz still in her hand and sighed. She quickly tossed them in her bag. "You know I don't like to use the valet."

"I will never understand that, dear. It's not like you can't afford it."

"My objection has nothing to do with the cost, Mother," she said as she followed her mother down the hall toward the restaurant overlooking the pond that served as a water hazard for the golf course. "It's a nice day out and I wanted the fresh air and the walk." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the entire truth, either. Regina had learned over the years that sometimes a quick getaway was necessary when going someplace with Cora Mills, and if they got into an argument at the club, she didn't want to wait for a valet to go retrieve her car. She wanted to be able to hightail it out of there herself on a moment's notice.

"Suit yourself. If you want to live like the middle class, who am I to stop you," Cora shrugged in the most dignified way one could.

They were seated near the window in the back of the restaurant, and the young college-aged server handed them their menus and introduced herself as Violet.

Regina could tell the girl was fighting a losing battle with herself, wanting to follow what Regina was sure was country club policy of not invading the privacy of the members, but also really wanting to confirm that the woman she was serving was indeed Regina Mills from _Frozen Mirror_. She took pity on the girl. "I'm Regina. It's nice to meet you," she extended her hand and the server nervously looked over her shoulder, as if she was afraid her manager would see. Regina laughed. "Relax, Violet, I'm not a member here," she smiled. "Friends of my mother are and they gave us some guest passes so we could dine here."

The teenager smiled and shook Regina's hand. "Thank you, Ms. Mills. I'm a big fan."

"Thank you, dear," she replied, only to hear her mother clear her throat and cause Violet to tense up. Regina caught the girl's eye and mouthed "sorry" to her before sending her a sympathetic smile.

"I would like a white wine spritzer," Cora said, handing the menu back to the girl. "And the lobster salad."

Regina rolled her eyes at her mother's predictability. "I'll have the chicken Caesar salad, and just an iced tea is fine." As much as Regina wanted to drink, she figured she should hold off because she may need a post-lunch drink, and she didn't want to overdo it.

Violet nodded and walked away, leaving Regina alone with her mother. "So, who is this Emma girl and why is she staying with you?"

Regina internally scoffed. At least her mother was straight to the point, as passive aggressiveness was never her style. "As I told you the other day when you bumped into us with Robin and the boys, she's helping me prepare for the musical episode we'll be doing later this season," Regina said. She tried to remain as unaffected as possible, as she knew her mother would continue to prod if she sensed any hesitancy or discomfort on Regina's part — pulling at any loose thread in a person's life was Cora's best talent.

"And you invited her to stay with you?"

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Do you make a habit of bringing home fans you meet at nerdy conventions?"

"Of course not, Mother."

"Well then what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I met someone who I connected with and I wanted to get to know. I looked into her credentials before I hired her, Mother. She's not a psychopath. She's in town because I asked her to come, so why would I make her stay somewhere else when we have plenty of space?"

Cora said nothing, but raised a skeptical brow, so Regina took that as an indication that she should keep talking, because her mother wasn't satisfied with her response. Before Regina could continue, Violet came over with their salads and drinks.

"Thank you," Regina said to the girl when she realized that Cora clearly wasn't going to say anything to acknowledge her service. She hated the way her mother treated servers, especially after getting to know all of the servers at Robin's various establishments over the past few years. She hated customers who treated the waitstaff as if they were lesser, simply because they worked in a service job. She shook her head and let that thought go. She needed to focus on one battle at a time. "Emma is extremely talented, and I figured if I wanted someone to work with me to help prep for this musical thing Gold is doing, I may as well pick someone who I knew I'd get along with."

"I see. And what does Robin think?"

"What does Robin think of what? Of Emma training me?" Regina asked, jabbing a piece of lettuce with her fork a little too forcefully.

Her mother nodded. "Yes, that. And of her staying with you. He is out of town with the boys, isn't he?"

"First, it's my decision who I work with and who I'm friends with, so it doesn't matter what he thinks. But, he likes her. He's only met her twice, but they seem to hit it off. And he has no problem with her staying with me. In fact, it was his idea that she should come up while I'm on break, since he was going to be out of town anyway. He met her in Portland when he came up for the last day of Comic-Con."

"How long will Emma be training you?"

Regina shrugged. "I'm not sure. The musical episode will be the finale of the first half of the season so we'll film it in a few months. She's going back to Maine in a few days to get back to her dance company, so I don't know if I'll get a chance to have her come work with me again before we film. It may just be this week," Regina explained. Everything she said was true, and she tried not to feel the sadness that Emma's impending departure was already causing her.

"So you aren't going to see her after that?"

Regina ate a bite of her salad and chewed slowly, giving her time to choose her words carefully. "I mean, like I said we've become friends, and she and Robin get along, so it would be nice if we could make something work. My shooting schedule makes it hard to see any of my friends regularly, though."

"Ah yes. And then you'd have to come up with some other excuse to justify her continued presence, unless you can somehow convince Gold to turn _Frozen Mirror_ into _Glee_ all the time," Cora stated.

Regina nearly choked on her chicken. "What?"

"Please, Regina, I'm not naïve. I pay attention to what people say about you online. The dance trainer cover is ridiculous, even for you"

Regina could tell that her mother thought she knew something, but she was still fishing, not sure if she actually did. Her mother had never known of the true extent of her relationship with Mal, because Regina knew better than to potentially piss off the woman who was paying her college tuition. Regina decided to stick to her story. "You can't believe everything you read online, Mother, especially not rumors spread by fans."

"I know, dear. I don't believe everything I see, just that which is obviously true."

"I'm not going to have this argument with you, Mother. Believe whatever you want. Robin and I are happy. Emma and I have become good friends, and she's helping me out with getting my muscle memory back. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to run to the restroom before we leave. Will you please watch my purse?" Regina asked, setting her small purse on top of the table.

"Of course."

When Regina returned a few minutes later, Cora had already paid the bill and was checking something on her phone. "I'm sorry, Regina."

Regina was taken aback. "For what?" She blurted out.

"For what I implied about your friend. I'm sure she's a lovely girl and very talented."

"Okay…" Regina said, wary of her mother's sudden and uncharacteristic apology. "You're forgiven."

"I would like to meet her again, if she is a friend of yours who will be sticking around. I'm in town for another 36 hours. Perhaps I can come over for dinner tomorrow night? Just no lasagna, dear. I am trying to stick to my low-carb diet," Cora said as walked out of the restaurant and toward the main entrance of the club, not giving Regina a chance to deny her request.

Regina picked her purse off the table and followed her mother out, mumbling "What the fuck just happened?" under her breath.

 ***.*.***

Across town, Emma had just completed several hours of dancing at Lily's company's studio. She had taken the open company contemporary class, and then Lily had invited her to stay for their repertoire class, where she danced beautifully with the rest of the company. Emma was picking up her bottle of water from the back of the room when she saw Lily speaking to the company's artistic director, who had led the class she just finished. Emma saw the older woman nod, and immediately Lily turned and walked toward Emma. "Hey, Emma, do you have a few minutes?"

Emma swallowed her sip of water and nodded. "Sure. What's up?"

"Walk with me," Lily said, gesturing with her hand for Emma to exit the studio room. She directed her down the hall and to a small office near the dressing rooms. Lily closed the door behind her and perched on the desk, making Emma wonder for a brief moment if perhaps Regina's jealously this morning was justified. "Would you be interested in joining our company?"

Emma looked up in shock, stirred from her thoughts at Lily's unexpected words. "What?"

"We just lost someone to Celine Dion's new Vegas show, and we were planning on holding an audition next month to fill her slot. But, both the director and I were impressed by what you did in there, and how well you blended with the rest of the company. If you want it, the spot is yours."

"Lil, you know I have my own company in Portland. My life is there."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Is it really? Because your friend lives in Montreal, and it seems like she might be a reason worth staying here."

Emma tried to hide her surprise and immediately got defensive. "What? Why would I stay just because Regina has a place here? What does she have to do with it?"

Lily chuckled when she realized she hit a nerve, confirming her suspicions. "You might want to learn to moderate your reaction a bit if you want people to believe that. And seriously, Emma, please. There was a time when I knew you better than anyone. I never said anything back then because I knew you were going through a lot with your mother's death, and I didn't want to make you more stressed, but I saw the way you looked at Ivy when we were at that school. You never looked at any of the guys that way." Emma rolled her eyes at the mention of her first "girl crush" and crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the closed door, but Lily continued. "You look at Regina that same way. And don't think I haven't seen the rumors about her online."

"Ugh, please don't start anything Lil. It's not at all what you think. We're really good friends." She shrugged.

"And dance coach and student," Lily added.

"Yes."

"Look, I really couldn't care less. I like that you seem happy. If you guys are friends, that's great, and an even better reason to consider moving here. I went through your online feed to find videos to show our director when I was suggesting you as the new replacement, and I only ever saw you post pictures with Killian. If you don't have anything other than your company to stay for in Maine, you should come here. You can meet new people."

Emma bit her lip as she thought about it. Lily watched her carefully, analyzing her childhood friend's nonverbal cues. When she thought she might be getting through to her, she continued: "We have a generous non-compete clause. We don't let our dancers perform with other companies usually, but we have no problem with them choreographing for them. You could still run your company administratively and choreograph for them while you dance with us. We would have no problem with that. And the director might be open to letting you do a guest dancer spot with your company on occasion. We also take good care of our company members – you'd be guaranteed opportunities to teach four classes a week in our youth division during the year, and more in the summer during intensive seasons. Plus, we have paid rehearsals and performances, and we often have commercial reps hire our dancers for industry work. We'll also help you with your work visa. Just something to think about," Lily said as she hopped off the desk. "I need to know by the end of the week, though, so we can plan for auditions if we need to. If you give me your email address I can send you the contract so you can review all the information."

"I'll definitely need a few days to think about it," Emma said. "Thank you, though, regardless."

Lily smiled as she handed Emma pen and notepad so she could jot down her information. She had a feeling the blonde would be signing on the dotted line soon enough. "Absolutely. Take your time, and just let me know by Sunday night."

 ***.*.***

Emma walked into the condo to find Regina sitting in an armchair in the living room with a book and an open bottle of wine. "Hey, are you okay?" Emma asked as she cautiously approached her girlfriend.

Regina smiled up at her and pulled her forward for a quick kiss. "I'm better now that you're back."

Emma laughed and fell onto the couch next to Regina's chair. "Dare I ask how lunch went?" She asked, eyeing the bottle of wine.

"Oh, about as well as I expected. Except, it ended with my mother apologizing to me and somehow managing to invite herself over here for dinner tomorrow night," Regina bit her lip as she silently apologized to Emma for whatever would occur the following night.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I hadn't even realized she did until she had already left the restaurant and started walking toward the valet. She is an expert at pulling shit like that. Oh, and I'm not allowed to make anything with too many carbs, because she's on a diet," Regina mocked.

"She sounds like a piece of work."

"Oh she is. And you'll get to experience that all tomorrow night, I'm sorry to say."

Emma shrugged. "I've dealt with worse. Back in my ballerina days we had to attend events all the time to suck up to the board members and their rich donor friends. I can't imagine your mother is any worse than any of those snooty bastards."

"You say that now. Just wait. I picked up an extra bottle of bourbon and a few bottles of wine to have on hand for after she leaves," Regina chuckled. "How was your class?"

"It was good," Emma replied. "It was their company rep class so I got to learn some of their choreography and dance with their company members. It was a nice change and challenge after exclusively doing my own work, and Killian's, for the past few years." Emma thought about telling Regina about Lily's offer, but she hadn't processed it herself yet, so she wasn't ready to bring it up.

"Oh, that sounds fun. Do you want to try to take another class before the week is over?"

Emma shrugged. "If there's something that fits into our schedules then maybe, but I dance all the time, so I'd rather hang out with you."

"I have no objections to that. And God-willing, I won't have any more of my mother's requests for my presence at meals or Gold's infuriating press events, so I will be all yours."

"Can you be all mine in like twenty minutes? I really need to shower."

Regina laughed as she kicked her feet up on the coffee table. "Absolutely. Go."

Emma got up and kissed Regina on the top of her head as she whispered "I'll be right back," before jogging toward the stairs.

Regina settled back into the chair and picked up her book again when her phone vibrated on the table next to her. She saw it was a text from Robin and she immediately panicked, thinking something happened to one of the boys. She sighed in relief when she read the message: _'Just letting you know I'm going to be delayed coming back. My parents asked to take the boys for a few days up to their place so I'm going to take advantage of that to have some kid-free time with the guys. I hope that's okay, and I hope you're having fun with Emma ;) I'll be back on the 30th.'_ She quickly replied and said that it was fine, but that she wanted to see the boys again soon and asked if he could bring them to Nova Scotia during the long weekend they would have the following month due to teacher work days at their school. He readily agreed.

A few minutes later, Emma came back downstairs, a towel wrapped around her wet hair. "That was fast," Regina commented as the blonde reclaimed her spot on the couch. "While you were in the shower Robin texted to say he was going to stay a few days longer and won't be back until the 30th. I know you were planning to go back on the 26th, but if you want to stay a few more days, you're welcome to," Regina said, trying not to get her hopes up. She knew Emma had a life she had to return to sometime.

"As long as the airline can change my flight, I'd love to. I have rehearsal early on the 30th, but as long as I'm back at least 24 hours before hand to get situated again, that should be fine," Emma said. "Can I borrow your computer to check flights?"

"Absolutely." Regina jumped up from the chair and flitted to the office, bringing her laptop back and handing it to Emma. The blonde laughed as Regina sat down next to her and eagerly typed in her password to access the computer before sliding it over to her. Clearly, Regina was excited at the prospect of Emma staying a few more days.

As the blonde pulled up her flight information and looked at her options, Regina's phone rang. "Someone's popular today," Emma laughed.

Regina winked at her before she answered. "Hey, Kathryn," the brunette said, leaning against the back of the couch. "Oh, tonight? Umm, maybe. I have a friend in town, and I'm not sure of our plans yet. Can I call you back in a bit? … Okay, great."

Emma looked over at Regina as she hung up the phone. "All set. I'm booked for an 8:00 flight the night of the 28th."

"Perfect," Regina smiled. "So, that was my friend Kathryn."

Emma laughed. "I gathered that much."

"She's a friend of mine from college, and she's getting married in a few months. Even though we already had her bachelorette weekend back in June, she's still trying to live up the last of her single days, apparently. She invited us to a girl's night tonight, if you want to go."

"Oh. Okay. Do you want to go or are you looking for me to give you an excuse not to go?" Emma asked, not quite able to read Regina's thoughts.

"I'm fine either way. She and our friend Ella are going to this club downtown, so it'll be loud and crazy, if you're into that. I think there's a drag show tonight there, actually."

Emma laughed. "I'm up for it, if you are. I love drag. And it could be fun to meet some of your friends and get all the dirt your college antics," she winked.

"Oh God, maybe we should stay in."

"Nope, we're going," Emma jumped up. "Do you have something I could borrow for tonight, though? I didn't really bring anything drag club appropriate."

"I'm sure I can dig up something. Let's go look."

* * *

 **A/N:** I know a lot of you probably wanted smut, but I don't really write it because I'm not at all good at it, and in my opinion nothing can ruin an otherwise good story like poorly written smut :P ...The first part of this chapter is as smutty as I'll ever get lol. Plus, there are so many people on this site who write it so well, so I'll leave it to the pros.

Also, while I was procrastinating both grad school and finishing my other fic, not only did I write more for this but I also started a new modern day AU Swanqueen fic. I've seen some of you follow it, so thank you if you have! If you haven't checked it out yet and are curious, it's called _Second Chances and Silver Linings_ and will be a slowburn chick lit fic. I'm trying a different narrative style/structure for that one, so let me know what you think if you decide to check it out.


	7. Chapter 7: The Missing Pieces

**A/N:** I've had this written for awhile, but I didn't want to do two back-to-back updates of this one while neglecting my other fics. I finally updated _Queen to Play_ this morning, so now I can post this one.

I originally planned for all of the "day five" events to be one chapter, but it ended up being over 10k words. I like to keep my chapters relatively similar in length, so I split it into two. Here is the first half. Stay tuned for drama, fluff, and a little humor. From here on through the rest of the story (about five more chapters after this one), a lot of stuff is going to happen quite quickly. Enjoy the ride :)

* * *

 ** _Day Five: August 25, 9:30am_**

Emma stretched her arms above her head and enjoyed the way the cool satin bedsheets felt on her bare skin. As she twisted her torso to crack her back, it was then she noticed the woman curled up next to her, a bare leg thrown across her own. She gasped in surprise as she realized they were both, in fact, divested of any clothing. She tried to remember the night before, but it was hazy. She remembered borrowing a short red dress from Regina to wear to the club, meeting Regina's friends, and taking shots with a drag queen named Misty Haven. And lots more drinking. She had no idea how they got home last night, or why they were completely naked, but she could venture a guess.

As she was trying process more of her disjointed memories, she heard footsteps running up the stairs and giggling. Before she had time to question why she was hearing such things in an empty apartment, the door to the bedroom flew open and two blondes she remembered as Kathryn and Ella came barging in. "Wake up, darlings!" The one with an accent and black streaks in her hair shouted.

"What?" Regina sprang up when she heard the noise, clutching the sheet over her chest to try to steady her heartbeat.

"Holy shit!" The other blonde called out, after noticing that Regina was naked.

Emma looked over at Regina in panic, and the brunette's eyes were wide as she tried to make sense of everything that had happened in the last 30 seconds. "Fuck, I'm hungover," was the first thing she managed to say. As her consciousness slowly came back to her, she continued and turned to address her friends. "Uh, can you give me a few minutes? We'll be down in a few."

Ella raised a harshly sculpted eyebrow. "Of course, darling. Take all the time you need," she winked before shoving Kathryn out of the room and closing the door.

Regina fell back against the bed, as the dumbfounded blonde sat up and finally spoke. "Umm…"

"Yeah."

"So…"

"I don't know."

Emma sighed, trying to find the words to have an actual conversation. "What happened last night? I don't remember anything after like 10pm."

Regina rolled onto her side, rubbing her temple to try to massage out the headache. "I have no idea. Based on how I feel right now, I'm imaging there was a lot of liquor involved."

"Yeah, I got that part."

The brunette rolled over to reach for her nightstand drawer and pulled out a bottle of aspirin. She poured out a few tablets, handing two to the blonde as she tossed two into her own mouth. She sipped the bottle of water she kept on her nightstand as she swallowed the pills. "The last thing I remember was you getting on stage with the queens when the Britney Spears tribute came on."

"Wait, what?" Emma's eyes opened in alarm. "I did what?"

Regina laughed. "I don't remember the details, but yeah, you definitely got up there. God, I hope I had the good sense to film that."

Emma covered her face with her hands. "Oh, God."

"I'm sure it was great," Regina laughed, wincing when the action caused her headache to increase.

"So at some point we came home, and your friends came with us."

"It seems so, yes."

"And, um, why are we naked?"

Regina looked shocked, as though she hadn't realized that they were. She quickly peeked under the covers to check, and when she looked back up she was blushing. "I, uh, I'm not entirely sure."

Emma hesitated. "Do you think we did anything last night?" Emma could not remember, and she hoped they hadn't, because that wasn't how she wanted her first time with Regina to be. Sure, they had escalated their physical relationship the previous night, but there was still a lot of uncharted territory. And truthfully, Emma was kind of sad that this was the first time they had actually seen each other naked, and they don't remember it happening.

"I'm sorry, Emma. I don't know. I don't think so? I mean, it doesn't really smell like sex in here," Regina said, trying to grasp at straws to comfort the other woman, as she herself had no idea what happened.

"Right."

"I think we maybe just fell asleep and were too drunk to change. But, maybe the two downstairs know more."

"What are you going to tell them? They did see us naked together in your bed."

"Well, they know about Mal, so they won't be surprised."

"You're going to tell them truth?"

"If I need to, yeah, or at least a version of it. They've been my best friends for nearly 20 years. I trust them. But if they'll buy that we just passed out, then I'm not going to offer anything more," Regina said, rolling out of bed and padding her way over to her closet to grab some clothes. She laughed to herself when she saw Emma shield her eyes, trying to give Regina some privacy.

While Regina was in the confines of her walk-in closet, Emma quickly got up and grabbed a random t-shirt and pair of shorts out of her suitcase that still laid open on the floor in the corner of the room. She then walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth, where she noticed a few bottles of shampoo on the floor of the open shower and several bath towels thrown on the ground. "Regina?" she mumbled, toothbrush still in her mouth.

"What is it?" Regina asked as she walked in, adjusting the hem of her tank top as she finished getting dressed. She saw the blonde gesturing to the uncharacteristic mess. "Oh," she frowned, walking over to the shower and picking up one of the bottles, sighing when she saw that nearly half the bottle had spilled on the tiled surface. She silently cursed because that had been a nice bottle. "It appears at least one of us had a party in here last night."

Emma shrugged after spitting out her toothpaste and putting the brush back in the cup Regina had put out for her to use. She smiled at the domesticity of the situation. "Maybe that's why we were naked?"

"Steamy shower sex?" Regina raised a brow.

"Well, perhaps. But I was thinking more like maybe we showered and were too lazy to get dressed afterward."

"Seems possible," Regina nodded, walking behind the blonde to quickly kiss her cheek before she bent over to pick up the discarded towels. She followed the trail over to the back wall as she found another hand towel back there. "Oh, gross," she said, dropping it immediately.

"What?"

"I think I can say we definitely didn't have sex."

"What, why?"

"Because at least one of us couldn't hold her liquor last night. There's dried vomit on this one."

Emma scrunched her nose. "Eww."

"Yeah. I'm just going to toss that," Regina said, fighting back the urge to gag as she carefully picked it up and threw it in the trash can next to the toilet before rushing over to wash her hands. "I don't know if it was me or you, but it's safe to say that if it was you, I wouldn't have had sex with you after that, and if it was me, there's no way I would want to. There's nothing I hate more than vomit. I can't even be in the same room when Roland or Henry has the stomach flu. I can assure you that even while drunk that characteristic would still be present in every aspect of my being."

Emma laughed and let out a sigh of relief. "I'm with you, there."

The two women walked down the spiral staircase and joined Ella and Kathryn in the living room. There were two large pots of French press on the coffee table, one of which was more than half gone because Kathryn and Ella had started drinking it already, and two empty mugs waiting for Regina and Emma. "Thank you for this," Regina said as she poured a cup and reclined back against the sofa. "I'm hungover as hell."

"Yeah, we know," Kathryn laughed.

"So umm, what happened last night?" Regina asked, sounding more shy and insecure than Emma had ever heard her in real life. Sure, her character on _Frozen Mirror_ had had her moments of doubt and self-loathing, but Emma had never heard Regina sound anything except confident. Regina sounded almost frightened, and it broke her heart a little bit.

"You really don't remember?" Ella looked up, surprised. "It looks like you lost your tolerance, darling."

"Ella, we aren't in college anymore. I don't go out binge drinking five nights a week these days."

"Well, we could tell you, or you could see for yourself," Kathryn suggested as she smiled behind her coffee cup.

"What?" Regina deadpanned.

Kathryn said nothing but slid her own phone that had been sitting on the coffee table to the woman.

She picked it up hesitantly, as Emma shifted closer to her so she could see as well. The blonde gave her a supportive nudge, and Regina looked down at the screen. "What am I looking for?"

"Start with Instagram. Our stories and your own. Then move to snapchat, though it's more of the same."

"Shit," Regina said under her breath, sending a worried glance to Emma. She had no recollection of even using her phone last night, aside from taking a few photos when they arrived at the club, but she hadn't posted them yet. She generally avoided posting pictures she took while she was out somewhere until she returned home, or at least left the venue, in an effort to avoid having fans come find her. Regina let her thumb click on the Instagram icon and opened the app, clicking on Kathryn's story. The first few photos were innocuous, mostly a few selfies of the four of them in a booth at the back of the club labeled _'#girlsnightout'_.

"Oh God, is that me?" Emma asked, her eyes wide.

"Uh huh," Kathryn confirmed.

Emma grabbed Regina's wrist and pulled the phone closer so she could see it. Indeed, she was on stage with two drag queens performing Britney's choreography to "Slave 4 U".

"How do you even know the dance?" Regina asked.

"Don't act surprised. You know I was all about Britney back in the day," Emma said, thinking back to when Regina had crashed at her apartment in Storybrooke and borrowed Emma's Britney Spears concert t-shirt to sleep in. "I spent my free time in high school studying her music videos. In case the ballerina thing didn't work out, my 'Plan B' was going to be a career as one of her backup dancers. But then 2007 happened to Britney, so it's a good thing I was offered a ballet company spot."

"Even drunk off your ass you're amazing," Regina commented, tapping on the next story. "Whoa, there was a snake?"

Emma gasped as she watched a drag queen wrap a very real albino snake around her shoulders on stage. "I must have been really out of it. I hate snakes."

"Well, you handled it like a pro," Ella added. "One of the drag queens offered you a job there."

They continued tapping through the stories — Ella alone had posted nearly 40 throughout the night. "Well, this isn't too horrifying," Emma said.

"Just wait," Kathryn cautioned.

They watched themselves take more shots, including Regina taking a body shot off one of the drag queens on stage, and then Emma and a drag queen both taking one off her. She cringed. It wasn't pretty, but it wouldn't be a total PR nightmare. When they finished going through Ella and Kathryn's stories, they pulled up Regina's. She had gone "live" during the night and had left the story up after the livestream ended. The first part was Emma on stage again performing with the drag queens, so it was nothing they hadn't seen already on Ella's story. The camera broke away from Emma briefly to capture Regina and her two college friends taking shots and screaming, before turning the camera back on Emma, just in time to see her dancing with the snake. Fortunately it was loud, so the recording couldn't pick up much of Regina's commentary as she filmed it, because she knew she was probably saying things that would get her into trouble. A few minutes later, all hell broke loose. "Toxic" started to play, and Emma and the drag queens busted out the choreography in perfect synchronicity. "Oh God, what am I doing?" Regina asked as a drag queen extended his hand to Regina and they watched her hand her phone to Ella so she could crawl on stage.

"Just wait for it," Ella said.

One of the drag queens helped Regina on stage, as Emma and two others continued to perform. By the time "Me Against the Music" came on, a few other people had been pulled up on stage as well by other drag queens, and they were all dancing. Regina and her queen, who was dressed as Cher, started grinding. As they watched the video, Emma looked over at Regina, who looked horrified, and gently squeezed her thigh in support. On camera, one of the servers had brought over more drinks, so Regina took two and handed one to Cher. They clinked their glasses and downed the shots, before Regina took Cher's face in her hands and pulled the drag queen in for a quick, but still hot, kiss. "Oh my God!" Regina put her hand over her mouth in mortification, and looked over at Emma, hoping she wasn't angry. "I'm so sorry," she said quietly, her words muffled by her hand.

Emma, however, was trying to suppress a laugh. She knew Regina was embarrassed and that this would piss off the network, but she found it hilarious. "It's fine, Regina," she whispered and smiled. "You kissed a guy, who I'm guessing is probably gay, dressed up as Cher. I'm not worried you're going to go run off with him. And it was barely a kiss… It's not like you shoved your tongue down his throat."

It would turn out, though, that Regina's on-stage moment with Cher would not be the social media highlight of the evening. As the song continued, the two drag queens dancing with Emma pulled Regina into their group center stage. At the end of the song, Regina pulled Emma toward her and kissed her.

"Oh shit," Emma exclaimed, just as she heard Regina mutter "Fuck."

Unlike her kiss with Cher, Regina's on-stage kiss with Emma lasted longer, and Regina had grabbed Emma's ass. It didn't appear to be particularly romantic, but it certainly was heated. Emma had been the one to break it, and at least they both burst out laughing afterward on stage. She hoped they could play it off as a performance thing.

Regina handed Emma the phone and stood up, storming over to the island where her own phone was charging. She had three missed calls, a voicemail, and five text messages from Gold. "Shit," she sighed. She scrolled through the texts and sure enough Gold was raging, demanding that she call him immediately. She ignored his requests, as she was still too hungover to deal with it, and she still needed to piece the rest of the night together before she spoke to him. She hesitantly clicked on her own Instagram, and her notifications had blown up. She sighed when she saw the screencaps and reposts of her livestream, especially since the vast majority of the posts were of her kiss with Emma.

"Why did you guys post this?" Regina asked her friends as she sat back down on the couch.

"You told us to film it, Regina," Kathryn explained. "And it was a livestream. It's not like we recorded it and uploaded it later. And we had never thought that you were going to go all lesbian on stage."

"Why didn't you delete it immediately?"

"We were going to, but over a thousand people had already seen it when it was live anyway. We figured it would still be worth deleting to prevent more from seeing it, but you stole your phone back from us before we could delete it. We told you to delete it but you ignored us."

"I was clearly wasted. You should have done it anyway. You guys know more than anyone the shit that went down after people found the Facebook photos of Mal and me, and how I have to constantly go on the defense about that and be so careful when I go out."

"Regina, there's no arguing with you when you're drunk like that. We kept telling you to delete it but you wouldn't listen to us. We even tried to hack into your phone after you went to bed last night but we couldn't figure out your passcode."

"Speaking of last night, why are you guys still here?" Regina asked. When Kathryn and Ella both feigned offense, Regina clarified. "You know what I mean. Why didn't you go home afterward?"

"You drove to the club and we were not going to let you drive back, so we drove your drunk asses and your car back here. We were going to call and Uber to take us home afterward, but you told us to stay," Kathryn explained.

"Oh. What happened after we got back?" Regina asked.

"You were both really drunk, and Emma said she was going to go shower because she was 'sweaty and gross' from dancing," Kathryn continued. "She went upstairs while we force-fed you water and crackers. You eventually went upstairs as well. We heard some strange noises a little while later, so we went to check on you."

"Oh God," Regina said under her breath.

"Emma was passed out on your bed, naked, I might add, and you were puking in your bathroom," Ella elaborated.

"Well, I guess that answers that question," Emma said.

"After you seemed to be doing a little better, you kicked us out and said you were going to shower. Emma was still asleep or unconscious, not really sure which. We made sure she was breathing for good measure and carefully maneuvered her under the covers, making sure she was on her side in case she needed to puke while she was out," Ella said.

"Thanks," Emma said, embarrassed. It seemed everyone had seen her in all her naked glory.

"After we heard you get out of the shower, we figured you were at least alive so we went back downstairs. That's the last we saw you until this morning," Kathryn said.

"And you didn't hear anything else?" Regina asked.

Ella raised an eyebrow. "Should we have heard something else?"

Regina shook her head. "No, I just don't remember anything so I don't know if I puked again or if I just passed out."

Kathryn shrugged. "If you did, we didn't hear you. You were barely conscious when you got into the shower, so I'm pretty sure you just went to bed."

Regina nodded, relieved.

"So, are we going to address the elephant in the room or just pretend it doesn't exist?" Ella spoke up.

"What?" Regina asked.

"You and Emma," Kathryn clarified.

"What about us?" Emma asked, trying to feign confusion.

"You being naked in bed together, for one thing," Ella rolled her eyes.

"You just said that Emma passed out after taking a shower and that you put the blankets over her last night. And clearly I was blacked out and went straight to bed without getting dressed after my shower," Regina shrugged. "To be honest, I probably didn't even know Emma was there." It wasn't a lie. It sounded like she was so intoxicated the night before that all three of the other women could have been in her bed and she wouldn't have noticed.

"You just didn't seem particularly shocked to see her there this morning when we barged in," Kathryn added.

"We were both hungover. I know my brain wasn't processing much of anything at that point," Regina defended.

"And your kiss on stage last night? That didn't look like it was your first time kissing each other…" Ella pressed.

Kathryn interrupted her friend. "Look, Regina, we love you. But, this is out there now, so you're going to need to do damage control. And we can help if you tell us the truth, so we can all get our stories straight. And Emma seems great, so if there's something going on between you two…I mean, I don't condone you cheating on Robin, but I know the public scrutiny has gotten to you—"

"I'm not cheating on Robin," Regina interjected.

"Regina…" Kathryn continued.

"Fine. Yes, there's something going on between Emma and me, but I'm not cheating on Robin. He knows about it and is fine with it."

"What?" Both Ella and Kathryn looked surprised.

Emma looked at Regina, deciding to let her take the lead because she wasn't sure how much Regina wanted to reveal. "Robin and I have an open marriage of sorts. We're both away from each other for long periods of time, so we have given each other permission to see other people when we aren't physically together," Regina explained. It was close enough to the truth.

"So this whole story about Emma being your dance instructor?" Ella asked.

"Not a total lie. She is helping me regain my technique for an upcoming project. But that was mostly to help explain why she was here and being seen with me, yeah."

 ***.*.***

Kathryn and Ella left a little after noon, after agreeing to help Regina clean up her online mess from the night before. All four women posted a slightly different version of a casual group photo from the night before, making the caption play up the friendship aspect of their relationship. Ella and Kathryn also staged a photo of them kissing each other, hoping to downplay the significance of Regina and Emma's. Regina didn't want to address her kiss at all, but she was outvoted. Kathryn had said it would look like she was trying too hard to avoid it if she ignored it entirely, especially because there were going to be more videos turning up from other people who had been there. Regina compromised and said she wouldn't do it, but that Emma should. Emma reluctantly agreed after confirming with Regina that she was okay with it, posting a clip of them dancing on stage and the first two seconds of the kiss. She added an image to the post, taking a quick screenshot from the infamous Britney/Madonna onstage kiss and putting it side-by-side with a screenshot of their own. She captioned it: _'The Madonna to my Britney, putting those dance lessons to use. Who did it better?'_ She added: _'#theresafirsttimeforeverything'_ to it as well, hoping to make it seem like it wasn't a regular occurrence.

Regina commented on the photo a little while later to make it look like was just a harmless night out: _'No contest. Britney and Madonna have nothing on us.'_ Regina had also talked to Robin late in the morning, filling him in on the situation, as he had been avoiding going online as much as possible while camping. He played his part and quickly commented on Emma's post, writing: _'What did I miss and can I get a raincheck?'_ with a laughing emoji. She still refused to respond to any of Gold's messages, deciding that he would certainly see the posts and that she had nothing more to say to him on the matter.

"Okay, now that that's done, can we not talk about social media anymore today?" Regina said as she set her glass of water down on the table and plopped down on the couch.

"Fine with me," Emma agreed, grabbing a snack out of the fridge. "Have you decided what to do about dinner tonight?"

"Shit, my mother. That's right. No wonder I got so drunk last night," Regina mused. "We have some chicken in the freezer, so I can throw that in the oven along with some veggies. Honestly, I really don't want to deal with her so I'm not going to make a lot of food to encourage her staying any longer than necessary."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"If you want to make that Caesar salad again, I wouldn't argue."

"That I can do."

"And I still feel hungover, so want to come cuddle with me?" Regina whined from the living room. Emma laughed and happily joined her, laying down in the space Regina left for her on the edge of the cushions and letting the brunette wrap her arm around her so she wouldn't roll off. Emma relaxed into Regina's embrace, both almost immediately falling asleep.

Regina woke nearly an hour later with Emma still securely in her arms. She knew the blonde was awake, because she was running her fingers across Regina's hand. "Feeling any better?" Emma asked when she felt movement behind her.

"Much," Regina confirmed, kissing the back of her neck. Neither woman spoke for several minutes, just taking solace in a bit of quiet. Regina could sense something was bothering Emma. "What are you thinking about?" she asked quietly.

"Hmm?" Emma hummed as she was pulled out of her thoughts. Since she had woken from her nap, she had let her mind drift to her conversation with Lily the previous afternoon. "Oh, yesterday Lily and the artistic director asked me to join their company. Apparently one of their dancers is leaving for a gig in Vegas and they haven't had auditions yet to fill her slot, so they offered it to me after seeing me in class yesterday."

Regina gently squeezed Emma's abdomen a little tighter. "Oh my God, Em, that's amazing! Congratulations. Why didn't you say anything yesterday?"

Emma looked over her shoulder at the brunette. "I was blindsided by it, honestly, and I wanted to let it sink in before I said anything. If I knew I wasn't going to even entertain the idea, I wasn't going to mention it to you."

"So does that mean you're considering it?"

Emma shrugged. "I guess. I don't know. There's a lot to think about. I don't know if I'm ready to leave my company yet. Plus Maine is technically closer to Nova Scotia, so living here wouldn't really solve our long-distance issue, if you're still wanting to pursue 'us' after this week," Emma said, suddenly feeling worried that maybe she shouldn't have mentioned their relationship as an influencing factor.

Regina pulled Emma so they were facing one another and then leaned in to kiss her. "Of course I want to, Emma," Regina said seriously. "And, you're right Halifax is closer to Maine as the crow flies than it is to Montreal, but it's only a 90 minute direct flight here, which is better than the 5 hour ferry ride to Portland. I come back here quite often because of Robin and the kids, so it might make things easier so that I wouldn't have to split my time between all of you when I do get time off. Plus, I've lived here for quite awhile. It's my home base and probably will be until I have to relocate somewhere that isn't a quick flight away."

Emma smiled. "That is true."

"But, I don't want to sway your decision, because I am gone more than I'm here. You need to do what's best for your creatively and professionally."

"Yeah."

"When do you have to give her an answer?"

"This weekend. She emailed me the contract last night but I haven't had a chance to look it over yet, what with my drag show debut and all," Emma laughed.

"And what a debut it was," Regina smiled. "Okay, my back hurts because this couch is not as comfortable for napping as it looks. I need to sit up," she said, tapping Emma's ass to encourage her to let her up.

"What time is your mother coming over?"

"6:30," Regina said noticing the time as she stood up and stretched. "I have an hour and a half before I need to start preparing dinner. Want that guitar lesson I promised you your first day here?"

Emma stifled a yawn and looked up in surprise. She hadn't been expecting that suggestion. "Umm, sure."

Regina smiled. "Okay. Come on," she said as she turned to walk toward the den.

They sat down on the loveseat as Regina took the vintage acoustic Gibson off the wall and handed it to Emma. "Okay, show me what you know so I know what I'm starting with."

"I told you I've only really played a few times on a friend's guitar, and that was ages ago, so don't judge me."

"I promise. Just play," Regina smiled. Emma managed to pluck out a G, C, A, and D chord with relative accuracy, as Regina made slight adjustments to her finger positioning. "That's actually all you really need to know to be able to play any song from the 90s. With that alone you can play everything we sang that night at karaoke back in Portland."

After fifteen minutes of instruction and singing along to some easy songs, Regina pulled out Robin's iPad that was sitting on the desk and opened it to a guitar music app that would let her play along to popular songs while showing her which chords to play and proper finger placement. "I want to shower before I start prepping dinner, so I'm going to head upstairs. You're welcome to keep practicing. If you get locked out of the ipad, the passcode is 0804."

"Isn't your birthday in February?"

"It is," Regina smiled. She had never mentioned it to Emma, so the woman must have looked it up online. "That's actually Robin's and my fake engagement anniversary."

"Ah," Emma nodded. "Got it."

 ***.*.***

"Here," Regina said, handing Emma a glass of garnacha before taking a long sip of her own.

"Starting early?" Emma asked as she accepted the wine glass.

"Yes. I need it, and so will you," Regina said, just before a forceful knock was heard on the front door. "Oh, good, she's five minutes early." Regina rolled her eyes as she set down her glass on the island and took a deep breath. Emma lovingly glided a hand across her back, trying to soothe her. Regina turned around and leaned into Emma for a gentle kiss, explaining, "I needed one more to get me through dinner since we won't be able to do that again until my mother leaves."

Emma smiled. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

* * *

 **A/N:** So, now the gradual process of Regina and Emma's relationship being revealed to someone other than Robin has begun. Baby steps, for now. But there will be strides to come.

The dinner party will be posted next weekend at the latest, as I already have it completed. What could possibly go wrong at a dinner that includes Cora, Regina, and Emma? :D It might be one of my favorite chapters.

Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8: Mother Knows Best

**A/N:** Surprise! So I couldn't wait to update this, and since the previous chapter and this one were originally supposed to all be one chapter, it seemed only fair that I post this early to round out day five of their staycation :)

To the guest reviewer getting frustrated with Regina having her cake and eating it too, first, thank you for the review! (and for being honest about it...I do like reading your thoughts). And I totally get it, and you're right — this arrangement won't work forever and Regina will need to make a decision, because it isn't fair to Emma in the long-term. This fic takes place across one week, and since they weren't even really "dating" until the end of the prequel fic, Emma hasn't had enough time to get frustrated with the situation yet. She's still in the honeymoon stage of "holy shit Regina Mills is my girlfriend," so she's willing to look past the secretive aspect for now, anyway. :) Regina has been living in her sham relationship for nearly five years, so she isn't quite sure how to handle this, especially since it's still so new. But since I've been writing this universe for 6+ months, I, too, feel like Emma is being too nice because it seems like they should be further along then they are, and then I have to remind myself that they've only really seen each other for like 2 weeks in the fic timeline lol. I think that's why I'm trying to post updates more frequently, too, so that it doesn't feel like it's dragging on. All that said, things will happen sooner rather than later, including a conversation where Emma addresses her thoughts about the secrecy and her expectations. Just wait...it's all on the horizon :D

* * *

 ** _August 25, 6:25pm_**

Regina walked down the hallway just as she heard her mother knock on the door again, this time more forcefully. "Jesus, calm your tits, Mother," she mumbled under her breath.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Emma tried to busy herself and slip into her "I'm just a friend" mode as she finished whisking her homemade Caesar dressing. The goal was to serve dinner as quickly as they could so the night could end as soon as possible. Emma was pouring the dressing onto the large bowl of salad when she heard Regina's irritated voice in the foyer ask, "What the hell are you doing here?" Emma immediately set the bowl aside, wiped her hands on a towel, and walked toward the front hallway to see what had her girlfriend riled up.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Swan," Robert Gold said as he took it upon himself to walk toward the kitchen. "It's never a pleasure to see you, dearie," he said bluntly.

Emma's mouth dropped in shock and she said nothing as she looked at Regina, who was still standing by the open front door and glaring at her mother who had just walked inside.

"You have a lovely home, Regina," Gold added, feigning politeness, although everyone could hear the insincerity in his voice.

"Mother, what is he doing here?" Regina asked. She had been dreading her mother's scrutiny that evening, but she hadn't prepared herself to deal with Gold on top of it.

"He's my guest, Regina. We bumped into each other earlier and I thought he might like to join us."

"You never said you were bringing anyone, let alone him of all people."

"Well it was rather last minute. I hope you prepared plenty of food."

Regina scoffed. She hadn't; because it was only supposed to be the three of them, she only roasted three chicken breasts. "We'll manage," she said through clenched teeth. She had suddenly lost her appetite, so she would steal a few bites of Emma's and focus on her salad. She didn't think her stomach could handle much more.

"Emma, it's lovely to see you again," Cora said, approaching the blonde and placing an air kiss on either cheek. Emma still had not recovered from her shock of seeing Gold walk into Regina's apartment, so she stood awkwardly as Cora accosted her with fake enthusiasm.

"Well, the food is ready, so why don't you two have a seat in the dining room and I'll bring everything out. Emma, would you help me prepare an extra place setting? I had only set the table for three," Regina said, directing her final sentence at the unexpected guest.

"I do hope it isn't too much of an imposition, dearie," Gold said with a smirk.

"It's fine," she huffed. "Go sit down so we can eat and get this dinner over with." By that point, Regina had lost all hope of maintaining any sort of pretense of a civilized dinner. She wanted those people out of her house. After watching her mother and boss disappear into the dining room, she turned around to rest her back against the kitchen counter, gripping the edge until her knuckles were white. "Fuck."

"Hey, it'll be fine," Emma said, running both of her hands over Regina's biceps. "And if it's not, we'll get drunk until we pass out again."

Regina chuckled. "As much as I might need that, I can't handle another hangover like this morning. I'll survive. I just want this to be over as soon as humanly possible."

"I'm in full support of that. Let me know if there's anything I can do," Emma said, kissing Regina's cheek quickly before grabbing an extra plate, wine glass, and set of silverware for Gold.

"Thanks. Just take that in there and then if you can come back and grab the bottle of chardonnay for my mother, that would be great."

"Of course," Emma said before taking the place setting into the dining room. "Here you are." Emma set the plate, glass, and silverware down in front of the man and promptly turned to walk back into the kitchen just as Regina brought out the dish containing her roasted rosemary and lemon chicken, placing one onto Emma's plate before handing the pan to her mother.

"I see you're drinking red, Regina. Really? With chicken?" Cora questioned.

"I bought chardonnay for you, Mother. Emma is bringing it over in a second."

"Hmm," her mother hummed judgementally.

"You know I'm not a big white wine drinker, and I really don't give a shit about official pairings. I drink what I like," Regina explained herself, although she didn't know why she even bothered.

Moments later Emma returned with the bowl of salad and a freshly opened bottle of expensive chardonnay for Cora. "Thank you, dear," the older woman said. Emma and Regina shared a concerned look, wondering why Cora was being so polite. It made them both uneasy. "Will you be having any chardonnay, or are you like my daughter and choosing to ignore the wisdom of sommeliers?"

"Like Regina, I tend to prefer red, but I'm open to trying anything."

"I bet you are," Cora muttered under her breath and sending a pointed look in Gold's direction.

"Let's eat," Regina interrupted as she sat down next to Emma and across from her mother. She had purposely not set anyone's plate at the head of the table, wanting to keep the roles as balanced as she could.

"That's all you're eating?" Cora asked as she watched Regina fill her plate with salad.

"Well, we did have an unexpected guest, so I only cooked three chicken breasts. It's fine. I haven't been feeling well today."

"Oh, why not, dear? You and Robin aren't expecting, are you?"

"Jesus," Emma said under her breath so only Regina could hear it.

"No, Mother. I'm not pregnant. I think I just picked up a minor bug from someone at the country club yesterday," she lied, not wanting to admit that she was still a little hungover from the night before, especially since the prospect of having dinner with her mother was the cause of her overindulgence in the first place.

"The country club or the night club?" Cora questioned. "Because God only knows what diseases that drag queen or Miss Swan here might be carrying."

Regina's face turned red, but Emma wasn't sure if it was in anger or embarrassment. Most likely, it was a combination of the two. Despite her physiological reaction to her mother's statement, Regina said nothing and continued to poke at her salad.

"Oh yes, that display was quite something," Gold added. "I don't know why you must make my job so difficult, Regina."

"Relax, Gold. The only reason people make such a big deal out of it or read into anything Ingrid or I do is because you and the network live in a constant state of gay panic. If you didn't try so hard to make everything look so fucking hetero all the time, no one would even notice. Compared to most celebrities out there, last night was hardly scandalous."

"So, how do you two know each other?" Emma asked Cora, nodding toward Gold and trying to change the subject.

"Robert and I go way back," Cora said with a smirk, causing Emma's eyes to go wide and Regina to look up, horrified.

"How far back?" Regina asked. Aside from her father and Gold's brother having similar investment interests that occasionally made them cross paths, she had no knowledge of any other dealings with Gold prior to her joining the cast of _Frozen Mirror._

"About 15 years now," Gold said.

Regina quickly did the math in her head. Fifteen years ago, she was a junior in college, and it was right around the time her parents had briefly considered separating before deciding to stick it out. "Oh God, no. Please tell me it's not what I'm thinking."

"No can do, dearie," Gold smirked.

"You have got to be kidding me. Seriously?" Regina dropped her fork and looked at the two in disgust before turning to her mother. "You cheated on my father with him? How long?"

"Not long dear. Only six months."

"Only six months?" Regina repeated, shaking her head. "Jesus Christ."

"Are you two still…" Emma asked before she could stop herself. It was none of her business, but this was a twisted situation and she was morbidly curious.

"Oh, heavens no," Cora laughed. "We are just friends now."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Gold added.

"Acquaintances," Cora clarified and Gold nodded.

"So then why are you here?" Emma asked Gold.

"You ask a lot of questions for house guest," Cora said.

"Well, what can I say? I'm inquisitive," Emma snarked. She hoped she hadn't crossed the line, but she saw Regina trying to cover her smirk with her hand and figured she was okay.

"Yes, Gold, answer the question. Why are you in my house?"

"Isn't this Robin's house?" Gold said knowingly while Cora chuckled.

"What do you want, Gold?" Regina asked, ignoring his comment.

"He wants what's best for his show, which happens to align with what I want, which is what's best for you," Cora answered.

"So this is what, some sort of intervention because I got drunk one night and kissed a few people on stage?" Regina asked.

"Something like that," Cora replied.

Before Regina could say anything else, she heard her phone ringing in the living room. "Thank God," she mumbled before standing up. "Excuse me, I should get that," she said as she unconsciously placed a hand on Emma's shoulder as she walked behind her. Emma hadn't even realized Regina had done so until she saw Cora glare at her shoulder where the brunette's hand had been.

"Really, Regina? It's rude to leave your dinner guests," her mother pointed out as her eyes tracked her daughter's movements across the room.

"Well, I'm not exactly in the mood to play perfect hostess, and it could be my dear husband or the boys," she said as she left to retrieve her phone.

As soon as Regina left Emma quickly finished her glass of wine and found her excuse to escape the dissecting stare of the two people sitting across from her. "I'm going to go open another bottle wine. Excuse me," she said, picking up the empty bottle on the table and hastily walking out of the room.

Emma had planned to check on Regina on her way to the kitchen, but she was out on the balcony talking to whoever was on the phone, so she didn't want to interrupt. She walked over to the wine cooler to retrieve another bottle of red wine, just to spite Cora. As she turned around to head back, she nearly crashed into Cora who had cornered her. "What is your endgame, dear?"

"Excuse me?"

"What is your master plan here? What are your intentions? It would be much easier if you would just tell me what you want so we can make a deal and end this little ploy of yours."

Emma was appalled, but kept herself steady. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Cora. Regina and I are friends. "

"Cut the bullshit, Emma. I know you're fucking my daughter."

"What?" Emma was stunned.

"And if you think I'm going to let you bring down her career and her storybook Hollywood marriage with some torrid affair, you are sorely mistaken. You are not going to ride the coattails of my daughter's fame just to launch your career."

Emma shook her head. "That's not at all what this is. I am not here to destroy anything or to try to get famous," Emma defended. "You should really talk to Regina."

"You know, Emma, I've done some research and know all about your 'little' dance company. If you're willing to walk away from Regina right now, I will personally fund your company for the next five years, as long as you cut off all contact with my daughter."

"I don't need a benefactor, Cora," Emma said. "I don't want or need your money."

"I see."

"And frankly, I'm insulted that you would think you can buy me. Your daughter is an amazing woman and has been a wonderful friend to me — you can't put a price on that."

"What's going on in here?" Regina asked as she walked into the kitchen, looking questioningly between her mother and girlfriend. Emma didn't respond, but Regina could tell that she was pissed, nearly to the point of tears, while Cora looked genuinely disgusted. "Mother?" Regina probed.

"Nothing, dear. Just getting to know your _friend_ a little better," Cora said before she walked away, heading back into the dining room.

"Hey, are you okay? What happened?" Regina asked, seeing the tears threatening to fall from the green eyes looking back at her.

"Oh nothing…your mother just accused me of fucking you, destroying your marriage and career, using you so that I could get famous, and then she offered to underwrite my company for the next five years if I promised never to talk to you again." "

"She did _what?_ Oh my God. I can't believe this."

"Regina, I said 'no' to her," Emma said, worried that Regina may have thought she would have agreed to Cora's offer.

"I know, Emma…I'm not mad at you. I'm furious with her, though." Regina turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Emma by herself and still holding the bottle of wine.

The brunette stormed back into the dining room to confront her mother, who was seated at the table eating the rest of her chicken like nothing had happened. Before Regina had a chance to speak, Cora did. "How much do you know about your new friend, dear? Did you know she's an orphan?" Cora asked with a glint in her eye, glancing briefly over Regina's shoulder when she saw the blonde in question return.

"Fuck you, Cora," Emma said, capturing Regina's attention. The brunette had been so focused on facing her mother she hadn't heard Emma come in behind her. The blonde held her head up as she sat back down at the table and poured a glass of bourbon, as she had decided to forgo opening another bottle of wine and went straight to the hard liquor. As she lifted it to her lips, Regina intercepted it and took a gulp herself before handing the glass back to Emma.

"And yes, Mother, I knew her mother died of cancer tragically when she was a teenager and she ended up going to a ballet boarding school before dancing in a prestigious ballet company, one that you for many years regularly donated to. I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"I'm just saying, Regina, you need to be careful who you associate yourself with. You can never underestimate someone's true motivations. Money is a powerful motivator."

"I already told you, I don't want your money, Cora," Emma said.

"So you said. I bet you would enjoy it more if it came directly from Regina, wouldn't you? Perhaps by blackmailing her so you keep your little tryst a secret? That would be much more satisfying, wouldn't it?"

"I don't want her money, either. I get by just fine on my own," Emma replied.

Regina had heard enough. "I trust Emma implicitly, Mother, which is something I could never say about you."

"I only want what's best for you, dear."

"What's best for me is for you to stay the hell out of my life," Regina said. "Leave me, my family, and my friends alone."

"No, Regina. What's best for you is to focus on your career, your picture-perfect family, and not to let harmful and immoral distractions interfere with your success," Cora stated before she reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out her phone. She quickly swiped through until she had located what she was looking for. She pulled up the video and hit 'play,' sliding it over to Regina. "It would be a shame if this got into the wrong hands. It could bring down your entire career. You can't blame this on being part of an alcohol-fueled performance."

Regina and Emma stared down at the screen in shock. It was the footage of them making out in the yoga studio during their dance rehearsal two days earlier. "How did you get this?" Regina asked.

Cora said nothing, but smirked as she looked over at the blonde, as if she was hoping Regina would think Emma had leaked it.

Regina wasn't buying it. "Wait…you stole it from my phone?" Regina accused her mother as she put the pieces together. She remembered asking her mother to watch her purse while she used the restroom at the country club the day before. Her passcode to her phone was Robin's birthday, which her mother could have easily figured out. "Why would you even go through my phone in the first place?"

"I knew you were hiding something, dear. And I know that you're too sentimental and stupid not to have evidence of it. I just figured I would find a few incriminating photos. I certainly didn't expect a live action option."

"You are unbelievable," Emma said, extremely disturbed by everything Cora had done.

Even Gold seemed surprised by the evening's turn of events as he watched the conversation volley between the women.

"Like I said, Regina, I would hate to see your career, and your life, fall apart after everything I've done for you."

"You have done nothing for me, Mother."

"Oh, that's what you think. You don't even know the half of it, dear," Cora sat back and crossed her arms.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Cora just smirked.

"You know what? I don't even care. It doesn't matter. You come in here accusing Emma of trying to get close to me so she can sell the story or leak something, and yet you're threatening to do the exact same thing, and for what, your own amusement? Just because you're disappointed by my behavior? Well, I have news for you mother. First, my fans would love it if they found out that I was attracted to women, because despite the network's homophobia, and yet inexplicable blatant use of queerbaiting, the LGBT fans are some of my biggest supporters, so my career wouldn't be at risk. Contrary to what the conservative morons who run the studio think, an actor's sexuality doesn't make a difference in their ability to play a role on screen. There are plenty of successful lesbian and bi actresses, so I'm not worried," Regina ranted. "And secondly, it would hardly destroy my personal life because here's a shocker for you, Mother: Robin and I aren't in a real relationship. Yes, we're married legally and portray it that way to the public, but we have never actually been a couple. It's only about appearances and convenience, and something Gold demanded we do to help preserve the nuclear family-friendly image of the show," she said, finally freeing herself of the burden she had kept secret from everyone except Emma, her therapist, and Gold.

"Of course your marriage is fake, dear. Who do you think suggested to Gold that he hire Robin to cater that production event all those years ago and to encourage you to have him be your date? And then when I saw how much your fans loved Robin, I knew he should be the one."

"What? You knew?" Regina asked, sinking into her chair as she looked at her mother before turning to her boss. "Gold?"

Gold shrugged before confirming what Cora had said. "It was your mother's idea. I never mentioned anything to you because I knew you wouldn't agree if it came from her."

"So you've been manipulating my personal life for the past five years? Jesus Christ," she sighed as the reality of the situation hit her. "How did you know I would go along with it?"

"You are so easy to control, Regina. You like to pretend that you're this fierce independent woman, but you make it so easy, especially because fear is a powerful motivator, dear. The fear of being fired, the fear of being alone, the fear of bad press…you had been on a string of failed shows for years, so I knew you wouldn't want to risk something that was turning out to be such a turning point in your career. And then the stalker situation happened and that was a great final push."

"No…did you orchestrate Sidney Glass' obsession with me? Are you the one who told him my home address?"

Cora chuckled but said nothing.

"I am so done with this, Mother, and I'm so done with you. I'm done playing your fucking games." Regina stormed out and headed for the den down the hall, leaving Emma sitting stiffly at the table across from Cora and Gold.

The blonde only lasted ten seconds at the table alone with the two vultures before she got up to follow Regina. At that point, there was no reason to continue pretending that they were just friends, and she wanted to check on her girlfriend. When she opened the office door, Regina was pacing and biting her thumbnail. "Hey…" Emma greeted as she closed the door behind her. Regina turned around and looked up at her, and Emma could tell she had been fighting back tears. "Hey, come here." Emma walked toward her and pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead as Regina finally let her tears fall.

They stood in silence for several minutes, Regina burying her face in Emma's neck as she cried and Emma's arms wrapped tightly around Regina, her hands rubbing calming circles on her back. "Shit," Regina finally said as she wiped her eyes. "Emma, what the fuck am I supposed to do?"

"If it were me, I would go out there and throw their asses out of my house."

Regina laughed. "Well, obviously."

"And maybe throw a glass of wine in their faces, just for dramatic effect. Preferably red to spite your mother"

"Yeah."

"But other than that, I don't know. I'm so sorry that you have to go through this. I feel useless because I don't know what to do for you."

"You being here is enough."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Thank you," Regina smiled sadly into Emma's shoulder as she hugged her again. "Let's go back out there," Regina said, taking Emma's hand and walking back toward the dining room. Before they could be seen by their guests, they heard Cora and Gold arguing, so they froze against the wall of the hallway out of sight.

"Cora, do not fuck with my show," Gold said.

"I'm not fucking with your precious show."

"You're fucking with my lead actress, so yes, you are."

"Oh please, you're as pissed about this entire situation as I am."

"Of course I am, but I'm not going to provoke her to the extent where she might do something stupid like out herself and end her marriage. That would be the nail in the coffin for her on _Frozen Mirror_ , and likely the end of the show if the network fires her."

"Exactly. She's ruining the life I so carefully crafted for her and handed to her on a silver platter, which would also ruin your show and take away jobs from the rest of the cast and crew. She's so selfish and unappreciative. She needs to learn her lesson."

Emma and Regina exchanged a worried glance before they focused their attention back on the argument.

"Cora, do not do anything stupid. She is your daughter."

"Stop trying to save your little show, dearie," Cora said, throwing Gold's favorite term of endearment and condescension back at him. "You wouldn't even have a show if it weren't for me, Gold, so do not lecture me on how I treat my daughter."

"Your daughter only has a career because of me, so we're more than even. I always honor my deals, so I upheld my end when I cast her as the Queen of the Damned. If I hadn't, she would still be a nobody."

Regina gasped and Emma squeezed the hand she was holding as she looked at the brunette, concerned for what they just heard. They were both wondering what kind of deal was made that resulted in Regina being cast in _Frozen Mirror_. Regina decided she had heard enough. She strutted back into the dining room, nearly dragging a surprised Emma with her by their still-connected hands. "What the fuck are you two talking about?"

Gold straightened up and closed his mouth, while Cora smirked. "Like I said, dear, you don't know the half of what I've done for you."

"So enlighten me," Regina challenged.

Cora let out a dramatic sigh. "Well, if you insist," she started, feigning irritation even though they all knew that Cora was going to enjoy what she was about to say, knowing the pain it would cause her daughter. "As you know, your father and Gold's brother knew each other from their shared business interests, which is how I met Robert Gold, an entertainment producer who was quickly working his way up in the world. This was about a year or two before you were graduating college and preparing to move to LA to pursue your career. I sought out Gold, thinking that he might be of use later on, as he was off to a good start but just needed some financial backing of his projects to help get them off the ground, which I provided."

"So you bought my way onto the show?"

"No, not at that time. I had planned to use that as a down payment to at least get you into auditions, but then Gold was interested in more, so I figured why not up the ante."

"Oh God," Regina paled, so Emma put an arm around her back to help support her as she swallowed her own revulsion.

"It really was so easy. Carry on an illicit affair for half a year's time for what I knew would be a worthwhile outcome. I got Gold to end it when I grew bored by the game and even got him to threaten to expose our affair, making him think it was his idea to blackmail me. It really couldn't have been more perfect. In exchange for his silence on the matter, I agreed to bankroll the remaining funding he needed for his first TV project, which truthfully I would have done anyway, but he didn't know that. I told him I would only do so if he agreed to cast you in a project of my choosing later on down the line. I knew he was talented and this extra project I would be funding would help boost his career, which meant guaranteeing your future. And if he reneged on our deal, then he would have to return the money I invested, plus interest, back to me in the form of shares of his company. At the time _Frozen Mirror_ got the green light, that happened to be more than half the net worth of the company. Had he refused to honor our agreement, I would in effect be the majority owner of Enchanted Studios, in which case I could hire and cast whoever I wanted. So, it happened to work out brilliantly," Cora grinned. "He honored our deal and cast you, and the rest is history."

"You're fucking sick," Regina breathed out, alternating between putrid disgust and profuse anger. "You both are." Her heart broke for her innocent father, who had unknowingly been hurt by her mother's disturbed need to advance Regina's career. For a brief moment, she was grateful he wasn't alive to learn about the depravity of her mother's actions.

Emma happened to look over at Gold, who was staring at Cora with a conflicted expression. "I don't think he knew," she whispered to herself as she made the realization, though Regina had heard her.

"What?" Regina turned to look at the woman behind her.

"Gold. I don't think he knew your mother played him all that time. He looks genuinely shocked," she said quietly, nodding in his direction.

Regina looked at him and realized Emma was right — he looked stunned. But nonetheless, he was still guilty of entering into the deal in the first place and manipulating her life for the past five years, regardless of her mother's actions to facilitate it all. "Get the fuck out of my house, and never come back…both of you," she walked through the dining and living rooms and marched to the front door, opening it and waiting for the unwanted to guests to depart. "And stay the hell out of my life," she added as they approached her.

"Regina…" Gold started.

"No. You do not get to talk to me. I will honor my contractual obligations, but I am not speaking to you anytime soon, and when I do it will be only about my character on the show. You will not order me around, and I will not kowtow to your asinine scrutiny of my personal life. You will stay out of my life, and you will not go near Robin, the boys, or Emma, or so help me I will sue you and the studio and the network for sexual harassment. I saved every text you've ever sent me about how I conduct myself and portray my marriage in the media, and I know your comments would be a litigator's dream come true to get their hands on such concrete evidence like that."

Emma suppressed a smile at Regina's sudden boost of confidence and that she was finally standing up for herself. She watched as Gold nodded and said nothing as he followed Cora out. Regina slammed the door behind them and turned around, letting her back sink against the door as she slid down it until she was sitting on the ground. Emma walked over to join her, wrapping her arm around Regina and letting her rest her head on her shoulder.

Regina closed her eyes and a few tears escaped, dropping onto Emma's shirt. "It's a good thing you're wearing black," she said. "My mascara is probably all over your top by now."

Emma chuckled. "It's fine," she said, kissing the top of Regina's head.

Regina pushed herself off the floor and walked back into the kitchen without saying anything. Emma gave her a few moments to herself before following, trying to figure out how to support her girlfriend. She walked around the island to find Regina with a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses. Filling them quickly, she slid one toward Emma as she downed her own before pouring more liquor into the glass.

"Regina, are you all right?" Emma asked, concerned.

"I will be after a few more of these," she said as she tossed back her second shot. She reached for the bottle to refill her glass again, but Emma put a hand on top of hers, stopping her. Regina sighed and put down the bottle. "I just can't believe this. I can't believe she was behind everything this whole time, and I can't believe I didn't realize it. I mean, of course she was. She's been trying to control me my entire life. I really shouldn't be surprised. But damn, fifteen years of this. And to think that I called her after Sidney's gifts showed up at my house, terrified for my safety and she talked me through it, only to find out that she is the one who hired him in the first place."

"I cannot believe she did that to you."

"I wish I could say I'm shocked, but thinking back on it, I'm not."

"Do you think she's really going to post that video of us? Should we prepare a statement or something?"

"No, I doubt she would. It wouldn't really do her any good. It would hardly destroy my career. It might get me fired, and it would destroy my personal life temporarily as I would have to explain everything that happened, or at a minimum say that I cheated on Robin, but she wouldn't gain anything from all that. She just wants to make it seem like she has the upper hand, doing what she does best by seeming like she's in control," Regina paused, filling her glass with water and taking a sip. "I can handle her betrayal and spiteful manipulation. But the worst part of this entire situation is that now I can't help but wonder, did I really deserve this role? Now I'm questioning everything."

"Hey," Emma stopped her before she could continue her downward spiral. "You absolutely are the best person for that part, Regina. You're fucking brilliant. The show is in its eighth season because of you — everyone knows that you carry the show, and that's why Gold is so terrified to lose you. The show wouldn't have lasted this long if it weren't for you. And if you ever doubt yourself, just look at all your fans who love you."

"Thank you, Emma," Regina said before yawning. "I'm sorry, but do you mind if I make it an early night tonight? I'm so exhausted and my brain has just about shut off," She looked over at the clock and saw that it was barely nine o'clock, but it felt like it was much later.

"That's fine. Do you want to go to sleep right away or do you want to wind down first?" Emma asked, causing Regina to raise a brow. "That's not what I meant, though that's always an option, I suppose. I was going to offer to give you a massage or draw you a bubble bath. Whatever will relax you and help you destress."

Regina smiled genuinely for the first time since the knock on her door two hours earlier. "Those both sound like great options."

"Then let's go upstairs," Emma said, holding out her hand for the brunette to take.

Emma walked into the bathroom and put the stopper in the tub as she turned on the faucet. "Which bath bomb would you like?" Emma asked, opening the drawer.

Regina had gone into her closet to change out of the dress she had worn at dinner and poked her head out. "The yellow one."

"Found it!" She grabbed the ball and brought it over to the bath, lighting a few candles that were situated along the edge. When the tub was filled, she turned off the water and tossed in the bath bomb, the smell of apples and cinnamon filling the air. "It's all ready for you, babe," she said as she stood up from the side of the tub. When she turned around, she gasped at the sight before her. Regina walked toward her in a fluffy bath robe the was tied dangerously loosely around her waist. She had removed her makeup and looked much more refreshed without the mascara-laden tear tracks on her cheeks.

"Thank you, Emma," Regina said, standing on the balls of her feet to place a light kiss on the blonde's lips.

"My pleasure. Enjoy it," Emma smiled, stepping around the woman to head downstairs and clean up the remains of the disastrous dinner party. Regina grabbed her hand, pulling her back.

"Would you like to join me?" Regina asked her, tentatively. Although they had woken up naked together that morning, they had no memory of getting to that state and had been respectful of each other's privacy once they realized their situation. Regina didn't even want to do anything sexual, but she needed to feel close to the blonde.

Emma smiled and threaded her fingers through Regina's, kicking off the heels she was still wearing. "I'd love to."

Regina let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, pulling Emma toward her until their torsos connected. She leaned in to kiss Emma again, no longer needing to stand on her toes now that they were back to being the same height. She slipped her free hand in between them and pulled on the tie of her robe, allowing it to fall open. She took a step back and dropped the robe from her shoulders, watching as Emma raked her eyes over her nude form for the first time.

"You're so beautiful," Emma said sincerely, meeting Regina's eyes.

"And you're overdressed," Regina grinned, playfully tugging the hem of Emma's top before turning around and stepping into the tub.

Emma laughed as she quickly shed her clothing, very much aware that Regina was watching her from the bath. She gathered her long hair on the top of her head and used the spare elastic around her wrist to tie it up in a bun, before unhooking her bra and letting it fall to the floor. "Take your time," Regina winked. Emma's red thong quickly followed, and Regina moved forward in the tub so Emma could step in behind her. She settled in quickly, pulling Regina to rest against her and wrapping her arms around her abdomen.

"This feels nice," Emma commented as she closed her eyes and kissed the crown of Regina's head, the scent of the apple cinnamon bath bomb mixing pleasantly with Regina's hair.

"It does," Regina agreed. She immediately relaxed into Emma's embrace, resting her hand on Emma's thigh and lightly rubbing her fingers across the sensitive skin.

They stayed in the water until the it got cold and the vibrant color from the bath bomb had faded into an unappetizing brown. Emma stood up and grabbed the towel off the bar behind the tub, wrapping it around herself as she stepped out. There wasn't another towel within reach, so she picked up Regina's fluffy bath robe from its spot on the floor and held it up for the woman, helping her into it as she stepped out of the tub. "Thanks," Regina said, as she retied the robe.

"Feel better?"

"Much. Thank you. That was really relaxing and it helped me forget about the shitshow that is my life for a little while."

"You're more than welcome. Do you still want that massage?" Emma asked, taking her hair out of the bun and shaking it out, the loose curls falling around her bare shoulders.

"I won't say no to that, as long as you don't mind."

"Of course not. Go lay down on the bed and get comfortable. I'll be over in a second."

Regina quickly kissed Emma's lips. "Don't take too long."

* * *

 **A/N:** So hopefully no one saw Cora being the mastermind behind this whole thing coming...I hoped to throw in an unexpected twist. And sadly (or maybe in the end it's a good thing...that's tbd), something major happens in the next chapter that will start to unravel everything in Regina's world and force her to make some decisions, even moreso than Cora's revelation. Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9: Unexpected News

**A/N:** I'm glad you guys liked the crazy dinner party! And so the drama continues...

* * *

 ** _Day Six: August 26, 9am_**

"God, Emma," Regina sighed as caught her breath. "Well, now you can tell my mother that you actually are fucking her daughter," she said as Emma crawled back up to the head of the bed.

"Was that okay?" Emma asked, settling in next to the brunette as she wiped her bottom lip with her thumb.

"Was it not obvious that it was? I'm not sure I believe that you've never done that before… not after that."

"I did my homework," Emma grinned up at her.

"What the hell does that mean?" Regina asked, looking over at Emma.

"You know that iPad you gave me yesterday to practice guitar with? Yeah, I might have accidentally found Robin's porn collection on it. He has quite the array of girl-on-girl action."

Regina laughed. "Seriously? Is that why you looked all flustered when you came out of the den afterward?" Emma nodded. "Well, remind me to thank him. It seems like he has good taste in porn…no pun intended."

"I can confirm that he does. It was very artistic and well-made. And super hot."

"That sounds like him."

"Mostly, it was very educational."

"Is that so? Did you learn anything else you want to test your skills at?"

Emma smiled as she rolled on top of Regina in the middle of the bed, fully straddling her hips and extending her legs to either side. "Perhaps, especially considering my flexibility."

 ***.*.***

After breakfast, the women settled onto the sofa, facing one another as they drank their coffee. "Have you given anymore thought to the dance contract?" Regina asked.

"It's a really generous offer. I'm sure cost of living is much higher here than in Storybrooke, but the teaching, rehearsal, and performance pay is much better than what I'm currently getting," Emma replied. "The contract looks fair, too. But, I don't want to take anything before talking to Killian. I don't want to leave him in a lurch if I decide to go for it."

"That's very admirable of you," Regina commended.

Emma sighed. "It's kind of ludicrous, though."

Regina looked up from her coffee, setting the mug onto the table and crossing her legs in front of her. "How so?"

Emma tried to figure out how to word her thoughts delicately. She really liked Regina and could see their relationship going somewhere, but the thought of moving to a new country just to make it a little bit easier to see each other was ridiculous in her mind. "We haven't even had our first fight yet, Regina. It would be crazy to move here when I've barely known you for three months, and we've spent less than two weeks together. And you don't even live here for eight months out of the year."

"You're right, it would be insane to move here for me," Regina said. "Don't do it for me…do it for yourself, if you think it's the right choice for you. We're going to have to be long-distance regardless of where you live, unless you want to move to Halifax, which I promise you, you don't. We can deal with the distance and make it work."

"That's true," Emma nodded.

Regina continued. "And who knows what will end up happening with my contract and if I'll be back again for another season, especially after that shitstorm last night. I could very well end up back here next year, but I could also end up in New York, or LA, or Vancouver…I have no idea. Realistically, I think Montréal is most likely because I love it here, so if you are here too, that would be fucking amazing. But, that's not why I'm saying you should consider Lily's offer…I'm telling you to seriously consider it because you didn't say 'no' to her right away, which means some part of you is wondering what it would be like to say yes. It sounds like your company is on solid footing, so if you think Killian can manage it while you're here, even if it's just for a year to try it out, why not? Your company will still be there in case this doesn't pan out. But Emma, I don't have to tell you that Lily's company is by far the best company in the province, if not the country. That open company spot won't always be there."

Emma took a deep breath. "I know. I need to talk to Killian."

"Go—call him, Skype him, whatever you need to do. You're going to drive yourself crazy until you make a decision, so don't put it off."

"You're right. I'm going to go do that now."

Regina smiled, leaning forward and placing her hand on Emma's cheek to kiss her. "Good. Now go."

While Emma called Killian, Regina sent a quick text to Robin: _'I should thank you for leaving your porn videos on the iPad. Emma found them_. _She's a quick learner ;)'_ She didn't even have time to set her phone down before she had an incoming call from him. She answered the phone laughing, assuming that he was going to comment on her text, but instead he sounded frantic. "Robin, what's wrong? Did something happen with the boys?"

"No, they're already with my parents. They came down a day early and picked them up last night," he answered.

"What's wrong, then?"

"Gwen's pregnant."

"Who?"

"Gwen…Guinevere…the woman I told you about a while ago."

"Oh, right," she recalled. She remembered Robin telling her about a woman he had known for a while who was often at the campgrounds when he was visiting. When he took the boys there during their spring break, he and Gwen had gone out on a few dates…and by dates, he had told her it was mainly a few picnics in the park since they were in the middle of nowhere and didn't have anywhere else to go. "I'm sorry, Robin, that sucks. I know you were interested in her."

"No, Regina, that's not what I mean."

"What?"

"She's, umm…the baby's mine."

Regina nearly dropped the phone. "What? How?"

"The week of the con when you met Emma, Gwen and I finally slept together."

"But, are you sure? You had a vasectomy. How is that even possible?"

"Yeah, well, that was seven years ago, and they aren't 100% effective, apparently, especially after time goes on."

"Shit, Robin. And you're absolutely certain it's yours?"

"She says she hasn't been with anyone else since Christmas, and I believe her, but she actually insisted on a paternity test because she knew how it would look, all things considered. We went to a clinic yesterday afternoon for the blood test and they put a rush on it, so we should know by tomorrow."

"Jesus, Robin. I can't believe this."

"I know, I messed up. We should have been more careful."

"Yeah, you should have. What does Gwen say?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what does she think is going on with us? And what does she want to do about the baby?"

"I told her what we agreed I would say if I ever met anyone I was interested in…I told her we were going through a trial separation and were free to date other people covertly, but because of your career we have to pretend to still be together for the time being. She doesn't know about you and Emma, nor that our entire relationship is a hoax... And she wants to keep the baby. She doesn't have any kids of her own and she's always wanted to have a baby."

"Fuck, okay. Has she told anyone about you?"

"No. She's barely nine weeks along and only got confirmation she was pregnant a few weeks ago."

"And she's only telling you now?"

"She wanted to tell me in person. After the boys went with my parents after lunch yesterday, I went up to stay with her."

"Jesus, Robin, why did you say you were extending your trip with the guys, then? You know I wouldn't care if you're seeing someone. How hypocritical would that be? Just, please don't keep secrets from me."

"I'm not, Regina. Her family runs the campgrounds and she has a cabin up here. She called me yesterday morning before my parents came up to see if I would give up a night with the guys and come visit with her. She originally wasn't planning to be in town this week, but she came back from her trip early when I told her I would be here a bit longer."

"Will she keep your role in her pregnancy a secret, at least for the time being?"

"Yeah, she said she doesn't want to cause any problems, and she really doesn't want the press involved in her life."

Regina sighed. "Okay, okay, that's good. What about you?"

"What about me what?"

"What are your plans in all of this? We have six or seven months to figure out a plan for what happens when you're suddenly a father to a newborn, but what are you thinking right now?"

"It's my kid, Regina. I'm not going to walk away from that. I need to be in his or her life."

Regina smiled sadly. "I knew you would say that, and I'm glad you did. You're a good guy."

"And I'd like to be there for Gwen as much as I can during her pregnancy, too. I care about her…a lot."

"Are you in love with her?"

Robin sighed. "I think I could be, one day. I haven't felt this way about anyone since Marian, and I'm terrified, but I can see myself falling in love with her, yeah."

"Well, then I'm happy for you. But shit, Robin."

"Yeah, I know."

"I'm not going to tell you not to see her, because I don't want you to miss out on the pregnancy of your child, but this can't get out…not until we have time to figure out what to say. It could screw us both over immensely."

"I know. The media doesn't follow me around much when you aren't with me, unless something major is happening at one of my restaurants, which nothing is scheduled anytime soon. And I'll be extra careful on social media. Fortunately, Gwen doesn't use it. I can come visit her up here instead of bringing her to the apartment. I can be discrete, especially since she literally lives in the middle of nowhere."

"Do the boys know?" Regina asked.

"No. They don't know she's pregnant, and they don't know about our relationship."

"Have they met her?"

"Yeah, a few times over the years since she's been running the grounds the last few times we've been here, and they saw here for a few minutes when she returned yesterday before my parents picked them up. They think she's nice."

"Are you going to tell them?"

"They'll eventually find out she's pregnant when she starts showing, but I can make it seem like I'm just her friend, at least until we decide what we're going to do."

"We have a lot to talk about," Regina sighed.

"Yeah, we do."

"Can you —um… can you bring her here so I can at least meet her and talk to her? I think we all need to sit down and talk this through. And like we did with Emma, it might be a good idea to get a photo of the three of us out in public too, just in case you are spotted together and I'm not around. We don't need the media thinking you're cheating on me."

"Yeah, I can see if she can come back with me. When is Emma leaving?"

"She scheduled her flight for the night of the 28th. I go back on the 31st."

"Okay…when do you want to do this, then?"

"Can you be here tomorrow? I know I'll be exhausted and bitchy once Emma leaves, so that wouldn't be a good time. And I don't want to spend Emma's last day here dealing with this. If you guys come up tomorrow, at least Emma and I will still have one full day left. And I'd like to get this figured out ASAP," Regina said, thinking out loud.

"Sure. We can leave early tomorrow morning and be there by late morning, talk, go to one of my restaurants for a late lunch to get that photo op, and then Gwen and I can drive back to the campground that night so I can finish out the extended trip with the guys…and Gwen."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

"We'll see you then. And I really am sorry, Regina."

"Stop apologizing, Robin. We'll figure it out."

 ***.*.***

Emma returned to the living room a half hour later after speaking with Killian. Immediately she noticed a change in Regina's demeanor. "Hey, what's going on?" Emma asked as she sat back down on the couch next to Regina.

Regina explained the conversation she had with Robin, and Emma was left speechless. "Is it bad that I'm just really happy that is vasectomy didn't fail one of the few times he and I had sex?" Regina asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Emma laughed. "No, that's fair. But God, that sucks for Gwen."

"Well, I'm sure she's surprised by it, but Robin said she's always wanted to be a mother, and it sounds like he's falling for her. I hope she feels the same way about him and isn't going to stay with him just because of the baby. I love him and I don't want to see him get his heart broken."

"Yeah…maybe that's one of things you should ask her when she comes up. I don't know what this means for your marriage, but if this is what is going to end up splitting you and Robin up earlier than you expected, you and Robin both need to know if Gwen really loves him or not. If she doesn't want to be with him in that way, you and Robin can continue your relationship and either hide the truth about Gwen and the baby from the press, or make it seem like it was a one-time thing and you and Robin are working through it."

"Yeah, you're right. If Robin really wants to be with her and she feels that way too, then I have no problem stepping aside and letting him move on, away from the circus that is my life. I don't want to keep them apart, especially not with a baby involved. I'll figure out something to say to the media and to get Gold and the network off my back about it. But I don't want to risk the potential fallout in my life if this is just some fling for her."

"If they are serious about each other, do you think you'd tell everyone the truth about your marriage to Robin?" Emma asked.

"I have no idea. Maybe? What do you think I should do?"

"I don't know. This is a bizarre situation. I hate to say this, and you might hate me for it…" Emma faltered.

"Emma, just say it, please. I can take it, and I could never hate you. I know I've dug myself into a very deep hole here."

Emma took a breath. "I know your fans love you, and they love Robin, but frankly, I think they'd be really pissed and disappointed if they found out you've been lying to them all this time, especially because so many of them seem to identify as LGBT. If you tell them the entire story then maybe they would understand why you did it, but it's so convoluted that I think they might just focus on the fake relationship and deception. I'm sure they'd eventually get over it, but you need them now, especially without knowing what's going to happen with Gold and your future on the show now that you've pissed him off. I know you don't want to keep lying to your fans, but if there's a way to make it seem like you and Robin just fell out of love, I would go with that option. Then you can decide what you want to say about your sexuality and our relationship. I think your fans will be forgiving if you decide to say that you've always been bisexual but were forced to hide that part of you because of the network, as long as you make it seem like you and Robin were the real deal. Or, say that you only recently discovered that you're interested in women. But, if they just see him as your beard, it could look really bad for you both."

Regina groaned and put her head in her hands. "Fuck."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be…you're right," she sighed. "And I needed to hear that. Anyway, I can't think about this right now. They'll be here tomorrow and I'm sure we'll talk about it plenty then. I'd rather enjoy our time together."

Emma smiled. "Agreed, but if you decide you do want to talk about it more before they get here, I'm happy to listen."

"Thank you. So, what did Killian say when you told him your news?"

"He was really supportive, actually…more than I thought he'd be. We have a handful of new donors after our show in Portland earlier this summer, so financially our company is stable, and we were able to hire more dancers than we've had in the past. Even if I'm not there, there are still plenty of dancers to work with, and we haven't started rehearsals for the upcoming season yet so none of our pieces are set. It would be easy enough to take me out of the mix and not cause any disruptions. He's willing to take the responsibility of running the company from his end, but he wants me to still be part of the decision-making process, both logistically and creatively. I think as long as he and I figure out a schedule of staying in communication, it could work. He can film rehearsals and send me weekly updates so I can give notes, we can Facetime, and I can fly out there once every month or two."

Regina smiled. "I'm glad he's so supportive, Emma. He seems like a great friend."

"He is…I'll miss him."

"So, does that mean you're going to accept Lily's offer?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I think I am. Like you said, they're one of the best contemporary companies in the country, and this opportunity won't ever fall into my lap again. If I hate it or it doesn't work out, I can always go back to Maine. Killian promised me there will always be a place for me. I'll talk to my lawyer to make sure I get that in writing, but I trust Killian. Even though the company was initially his idea, we built EmKi together. I won't ever be able to walk away from it completely."

Regina hugged her. "That's great, Emma. I'm so happy for you."

Emma sighed and fell back against the couch. "But now I have to figure out the logistics of moving here."

"Do you know when your start date would be?"

"I imagine ASAP. Their current member I'll be replacing already left, and Lily said she wanted an answer by the weekend. They were planning to hold auditions at the end of September, so I might have a little time, but I'd like to move quickly. If I'm going to do it I should dive in, you know? I don't want to give myself any time to second guess my decision."

Regina nodded. "Fortunately, I have lived here for quite some time. I can help you find a place."

"You don't mind?"

"Of course not. We can go look at places this afternoon if you want."

"That would be great. Thank you, Regina."

 ***.*.***

"Well, that was a bust," Emma said as she tossed her purse down on the table early that evening. They had gone to see eight different apartments throughout the city, ranging from brand new high rise complexes to vintage walk-ups, but nothing seemed to work. Everything was either too expensive, too far away from the studio and places where Emma would want to spend her free time, or wouldn't allow pets, and there was no way Emma was not going to bring her cat Adagio with her when she moved. One place had seemed promising, but there was a waitlist for units and the building manager said January would be the earliest move-in date.

"We can keep looking," Regina said, trying to lift Emma's spirits.

"I know. It's just frustrating since I leave in two days and I won't be able to get back here until my contract starts," Emma said. She had called Lily earlier to verbally accept the offer, and Lily asked her if she could start with the company at the beginning of October — that would give Emma four weeks to pack, sublet her place in Maine, and get settled into life in Montreal. Emma anticipated needing three weeks to wrap up things in Maine, and then would spend that last week moving. "Lily said that if it comes to it, I can crash on her couch until I find a place, but I'd rather just settle in someplace more permanent, you know?"

"I get it. I was the same way when I had to move to Halifax for the show. Some of the actors stayed in hotels for the first few months until we knew the show would be picked up, but I took my chances and rented a place, because I wanted to feel at home," Regina said, pausing as she thought through her next idea. "Robin and I know a lot of people here, so we can keep our eyes open over the next month. If you see any listings you like, I'm sure Robin would be happy to go check them out in-person for you."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"That would be great. Thank you."

"And," Regina continued. "If all else fails, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you stayed here while you search for a place. I mean, it wouldn't be permanent, but at least you would have a bed and a door, rather than a couch. You could take my room, if you wanted, and hopefully it would feel a little less like a temporary arrangement than couch-surfing would."

"Seriously?" Emma looked over at her girlfriend in surprise.

"Why not? As long as you don't mind hyperactive pre-teen boys running around, you're welcome to stay. I'll need to clear it with Robin, but it's not like he's really in a position to deny my requests right now," Regina laughed.

"You are amazing," Emma said, walking over to the woman and wrapping her arms around her waist, kissing the tip of her nose.

"I know."

* * *

 **A/N:** When I started this fic I decided that I didn't want Robin to be alone when the marriage ultimately ended, because he's a good guy (in this fic, anyway) and deserves a real relationship too. I had already killed Marian off in the previous fic to justify why Robin would agree to the fake marriage (because he felt the boys needed a mom), so Guinevere seems like an okay match for him? Idk. That's not the focus of the story and they're only here to help move the plot forward, so I don't actually care about them haha.

So, as promised, baby steps are turning into more purposeful strides now. Emma will at least be in the same country as Regina, and I think it's safe to say that the fake marriage is quickly unraveling.

Next up: Regina makes some major decisions and regains control/takes ownership of her life, and a much-needed conversation happens between Emma and Regina once Emma has time to digest the information she received in this chapter. Lots of confrontations and resolutions on the horizon. There are 2-3 chapters left, so the happy ending is quickly approaching.


	10. Chapter 10: The Talks

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! I wasn't sure how people were going to take that twist, but it seems that most of you are still on board haha. This is a long one (twice the length of my usual chapters) because there are a lot of conversations that need to happen, but there was not a logical reason to cut it in half, so...

* * *

 ** _Day Eight: August 27, 11am_**

"Are you nervous?" Emma asked Regina as they ate breakfast. She noticed that Regina had barely touched her food, only managing to take a few bites of her toast.

"I didn't think I would be, but yeah, I am. I don't even know why."

Emma opened her mouth to reply, but then the front door opened. "We're here," she heard Robin's voice announce from the hallway.

"In the kitchen," Regina called back. She watched as her husband shepherded in a gorgeous brunette with light caramel skin and soulful brown eyes, unadorned with any makeup. Her long hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and she wore fitted camo cargo pants, a black tank, and a light denim jacket. Regina smiled, deciding to break through the awkwardness of the moment. "You must be Gwen. It's nice to meet you," she said, extending her hand.

Gwen self-consciously shook it. "You as well," she said, a hesitant lilt in her voice.

"Hi, Emma," Robin said as he gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. "Sorry to crash your time together," he whispered before he stepped back.

"Don't worry about it," she replied, placing a supportive hand on his bicep and gently squeezing. "How are you holding up?"

"It's been a whirlwind," he replied with a chuckle. "Gwen, why don't you and Emma chat a bit and get to know each other while Regina and I talk through some things," Robin suggested. As much as he was dreading everything that was about to occur, he wanted to get it resolved.

"Of course. Take your time," Gwen forced a smile as Emma and Regina shared a look.

Regina walked down the hall toward the den and Robin promptly followed her, closing the door behind him before he joined his wife on the loveseat. He decided to jump right in: "The clinic called this morning on our drive down and confirmed with 99.9% certainty that I am the father."

"Oh, that's good," Regina said, not really knowing what else to say. "Have you come to any conclusions since we talked yesterday morning?"

Robin paused. "Sort of. I have some thoughts, but I don't know where you are, so I'd like to hear what you're thinking. I know I just dropped this bombshell on you."

Regina shrugged. "I mean, realistically, I don't see any way for us to stay together once the baby is born. I'm not going to keep you from your child, Robin. You deserve to be in that baby's life as much as you possibly can. I can't in good conscience make you give up time with the baby in order to keep up this charade with me."

Robin nodded. "Yeah, I was kind of leaning in that direction as well."

Regina sighed, "So, we get a divorce?"

"I think that is probably the logical decision, yes."

"Robin," Regina said, placing a hand on his knee and turning to face him. "Don't think about logical here. What do _you_ want?"

"I want to be there to raise my kid, Regina, and I want to be there for Gwen and see where my relationship goes with her."

Regina smiled half-heartedly. "Good. Then, that's what you should do." She hesitated before continuing: "But, I'll be honest. My biggest concern here is about Gwen. I don't know her from Adam. I trust you and your judgment, but I'm concerned specifically about what she feels for you. I don't want to go through all the shit that we'll have to deal with if we split up and announce it to the press, if it turns out she's only interested in you because of the baby. If this life that we've crafted so carefully over the past five years is going to come crumbling down in ruins, and I'm left to deal with the fallout, I want to make sure it's well thought-out and not a rash decision. If she's not serious about you beyond you being her baby daddy and you're just going to end up seeing the baby every other weekend anyway…"

"I completely understand that, and I agree. But, I don't think that's the case here. I think she feels that same way about me as I feel about her. I know it's fast, since we've only been dating since March, but it feels right, you know? "

"Yeah, I do." Regina smiled, thinking about Emma. Robin was right — she and Emma had only known each other a little over two months, yet she knew they were in this for the long haul. "Okay, then." Regina took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. "What about the boys?"

"What about them?"

"What do we do?" Regina asked, willing the tears forming in her eyes not to fall.

"Regina, we'll work something out. You legally adopted them, and nothing is going to change that. I want you to be a big part of their lives, as long as you want to be."

She sighed in relief. "Oh, thank God."

"Did you really think I would keep them from you? You're their mother now, Regina."

"I didn't think you would, no, but I don't know. You're about to have another kid with Gwen and if that works out it's only logical that she would become a mother to Roland and Henry."

"Yes, but not at your expense. And Gwen will have to understand that. You've been in their lives for five years. Roland has never known anyone other than you in that role, since Marian died when he was so young. You raised him. Nothing will change that."

"Thank you," she said, allowing him to pull her in for a hug.

"Have you thought about what you want to say to the media and to your fans?"

"Emma and I talked a bit about it, but no, I haven't decided anything yet."

"You can blame everything on me. I can admit to my affair to protect you, and that way you're not forced to say anything about your personal life. I can just be another cheating husband," he offered.

"Robin, I don't want people to think you cheated on me. You don't deserve the inevitable hate you would get from my fans online, and I don't want to risk any backlash on your businesses."

"I deserve it, though."

"No, you don't. You didn't do anything that I didn't do. I'm just lucky that in my extramarital relationship pregnancy isn't at all a risk. And anything that affects you will affect the boys. I don't want them hurt by this. And I don't want you hurt by this, either. I still care about you, you know."

He smiled. "I know. So, then, how do you want to handle it?"

"I don't know. We can always just say 'irreconcilable differences' and not elaborate. Isn't that what most celebrity couples do?"

"Regina, people will find out that there's a baby, especially with you staying in Roland and Henry's lives. And, it's not like we won't ever be seen in public together again. You're one of my best friends, and I don't want to lose you as a result of this."

She reached out, taking his hand. "You won't. We just have to figure out how to spin it. All I know is that I can't let the media find out the truth…that our marriage was a strategic play. Even if I said it was because of a safety situation with a stalker, it would still look like it was all a publicity stunt and that I was deceiving my fans. Which I am, and I hate that. But, I can't tell them. I need everything to appear to happen organically, from start to finish."

"Are you thinking you might want to officially come out as bisexual, though? If you decide not to renew your contract with _Frozen Mirror_ , you could confess that this was something the network and producers required you to do…you could expose them for the bigots they are, and I think the public would be pretty forgiving of us for the deception."

"No. I don't want to play the victim here. I could have refused to go along with their plan. I don't want my fans to pity me. Plus, I don't want to throw the network or show under the bus. Even though I hate their policies, they are responsible for me even having a career. And it might jeopardize other studios from wanting to work for me if I look like I'll cause problems… And shit….Oh God…what about immigration? I don't know what kind of legal ramifications there might be. Marriage fraud is a big deal, and even though I would have become a permanent resident eventually from working on the show and that had nothing to do with why we got married, it still will look bad. We have to make this look like it was always a real marriage."

"I didn't even think of that."

"Yeah, it didn't occur to me until just now…but it's too late now to change that. No wonder Gold never mentioned that little aspect when he suggested we get married."

"Okay. Well, we don't have to decide everything today. Maybe after we talk with Gwen and Emma we'll come up with something."

Regina stood up and nodded, extending her hand out to Robin. "Maybe. Should we go find them?"

"Yeah. They're both probably freaking out," Robin said, letting Regina pull him up.

Regina chuckled. "You're probably right."

Robin and Regina walked back down the hall, finding Emma and Gwen sitting at the dining room table. "Everything okay?" Emma asked Regina as she subtly grasped her hand under the table.

Regina squeezed Emma's fingers gently. "It will be."

"Why don't we all go sit down in the living room?" Robin suggested.

"That's a good idea. Gwen, would you mind helping me bring over some tea?" Regina asked.

Gwen paled a bit and Robin kissed her temple. "It'll be fine, Gwen. Truly," he reassured her.

"Yes, of course, Regina. I'm happy to help."

Regina led her into the kitchen and opened the cabinet to grab a few kinds of tea. "I know Robin's answer to this question, but I need to know yours, Gwen. How do you feel about my husband?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you love him? Do you see yourself with him in the long run? Or, are you only with him because of the baby? If you hadn't gotten pregnant, would you still want to pursue a real relationship with him?"

"I've always liked Robin and thought he was a great guy. And yeah, I think I am falling in love with him. Even though I know he wants to 'do the right thing' in regards to the baby, that's not the reason I want to be with him."

Regina nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Thank you, Gwen, for being honest with me. And for what it's worth, yeah Robin is a noble guy and wants to do right by the people in his life, and that's one of the reasons I married him, but that's not the only reason he wants to be there for you," Regina said, handing a confused Gwen the tea packets as she grabbed the electric tea kettle and walked back toward the living room.

Gwen followed Regina into the living room, setting the tea down on the coffee table. Regina sat down next to Robin on the sofa, so Gwen took the empty armchair next to Emma.

Regina spoke first, getting straight to the point. "We have decided to formally separate, and assuming everything goes as it should with the legal process, we will ultimately get divorced. But, we aren't going to announce it publicly just yet. We're still working on what kind of statement we want to make, and how much of the truth we want to reveal," she said, glancing at Emma before looking at Gwen.

"Regina, I just want to say that I'm so sorry for this. Robin said that you were free to see other people during your trial separation, but we should have been more careful," Gwen said.

Regina coughed as she sipped her tea and Emma raised an eyebrow. "I appreciate that Gwen, but you didn't do anything wrong. You don't need to apologize to me."

"I do, though. I should have waited until you officially separated or divorced. I know you know that I've known Robin for a while from his visits to the campgrounds over the years, but I need you to know that nothing ever happened between us until he told me you were separating back in the spring."

Regina nodded, noticing the tan brunette was looking anxious. "Gwen, really, it's fine. I mean, if anyone did anything 'wrong' it would have been Robin, not you. And he's apologized already even though he doesn't really need to." Gwen looked like she was about to apologize again, so Regina continued: "Look, Gwen, there's something you should know…" she started.

"Regina, are you sure?" Robin asked, interrupting Regina's statement.

She looked over at Gwen, who looked extremely confused. "Robin, she needs to know. I appreciate you keeping this secret, but she clearly feels guilty about all of this and she shouldn't. She doesn't need any additional stress right now, especially not feeling like she destroyed our marriage. If you guys are going to have a future together, you need to be honest with her."

"What is she talking about, Robin? What aren't you telling me?" Gwen asked, placing a hand subconsciously on her still-flat abdomen.

"Gwen, while Robin and I are married, it's not a real marriage. Well, other than in legalities and appearances."

"What?" Gwen asked, clearly surprised.

Regina took a deep breath and explained the entire story she had told Emma a few months earlier in her hotel room. She described her situation with the rumors about her previous relationship with her friend Mal and the show's conservative policies and concern over her chemistry with her costar Ingrid, the situation with her stalker, and Robin's restaurants and kids benefiting from Regina's presence in their life. "Aside from the four of us, my therapist, my boss, and my mother, who orchestrated the whole thing, no one else knows."

"Wait, your mother?" Robin asked, feeling out of the loop.

"Oh, yeah, I didn't get to tell you about that yet. She seduced Gold 15 years ago, had a brief affair with him, gave him money to get started on his first TV pilot, and then managed to reverse blackmail him into casting me in his show. Oh, and our marriage was all her idea, and she even hired Sidney Glass to look like he was stalking me. She's the puppeteer in this circus… Gold was just the strings tying my mother's desires to my actions."

"Shit," Robin sighed, placing a friendly hand on Regina's knee.

"Yeah," Emma added. "You missed an exciting dinner party."

"Whoa," Gwen said, leaning back on the couch and trying to process it. "So, you guys never even dated? You were never involved?"

"No, not beyond me bringing Robin to an event now and then for show," Regina explained. "We love each other and we became best friends during the year we 'dated' publicly, but we've never been interested in each other in a romantic way. We tried, thinking that maybe we would learn to fall in love, but there was never that connection. We've never been 'in love' with each other."

"That's kind of insane," Gwen commented candidly.

"Yeah, that was my reaction a few months ago," Emma chuckled.

"Wait, so how do you fit into this?" Gwen asked Emma.

"Oh, right," Regina said. "Well, she's kind of my girlfriend," she grinned, realizing that was the first time she had actually said the words out loud to anyone.

"Kind of?" Emma smirked.

"Okay, she's very much my girlfriend…I recently realized that there was more meaning behind my relationship with Mal than college experimentation, and Emma made me realize that I am apparently interested in women as well, or at least certain women, anyway," she winked at Emma. "The dance trainer thing is just an excuse since my fans like to make crazy speculations and accusations online…though in this case, they're actually pretty spot-on," she laughed. "So Gwen, like I said, you have no reason to feel guilty. You're not breaking up a marriage...not a real one, anyway. You and Robin didn't do anything that Emma and I haven't done," Regina blushed at that note. She shook her head and continued: "I just can't accidentally impregnate Emma. That's literally the only difference here."

"Oh…I see," Gwen replied, still baffled by the entire situation.

Emma gave Gwen a sympathetic look. "Hey Regina, should we get another pot of tea ready?"

"Oh, yeah, good idea," she replied, taking the hint and following Emma into the kitchen, giving Gwen and Robin a moment together to talk. As she walked away, Regina sent Robin a look, and he showed Gwen down the hall to the office so they could talk in complete privacy.

"So now that we're alone, how are you really?" Emma asked, taking one of Regina's hands in hers.

Regina shrugged. "Better than I thought I'd be. I mean, Robin and I are ending our marriage much sooner than I thought we would, and God, I have no idea what to say to the public, to my fans that won't make them hate me for lying all these years," she started to pace. "Robin offered to take the blame and say that he cheated, but I can't unleash the hate he'd get for that on him, especially because it's not his fault. But despite how hard the next few months will be, part of me is also relieved that I won't have to hide behind a fake marriage anymore."

Emma looked up, surprised. "What does that mean?"

"Well, I don't know if I'm ready to throw a big coming out party, especially since I still have all of the network's and Gold's shit to deal with. That aspect hasn't changed. But, at least I won't have to pretend to be utterly in love with Robin and stage photos anymore, or count how many times we've tweeted and Instagrammed each other to make sure we're keeping up appearances."

"Right, but won't that make anytime we're seen together more suspicious if you don't have him to fall back on?"

"Probably. But I also don't want to go to all the trouble to hide you, either," she said, lightly running her hands along Emma's forearms. "I just want to live my life without having to make any grand declarations about my fake marriage ending or the gender of the person I'm having sex with."

"Okay, so who says you have to?"

"What?"

"Who says you have to announce your split with Robin?"

"That's what people do, Emma. I can't go on pretending anymore."

"Have you heard of ghosting?"

"Yes. And if you ever do that to me, I will kill you."

Emma chuckled. "Don't worry, that's not my style, and I have no plans of breaking up with you, so…anyway. You guys could just ghost each other to the public."

Regina looked at Emma as though she grew an extra head. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Stop going out of your way to stage photos and gradually stop playing up your relationship on social media until it gradually fades away from the public. Just live your life. Stop staging things with him and don't craft fake captions and photos of us. Just go back to your regular routine and post whatever the hell you want because it's your life and your account. You guys may be in the public eye, but what goes on between you is no one's business but yours…just like what happens between us is no one's business but ours. You don't owe anyone any explanations."

Regina smiled. "Ugh, that sounds wonderful, but fans will notice. I forgot to put my wedding ring back on after filming one day when the cast went out afterward, and everyone freaked out when pictures showed up of me without it."

"So what? Let them speculate. They're going to talk regardless. They've been talking about you for eight years since the show started, and they're going to continue talking regardless of whether you and Robin formally make an announcement. You don't owe them an explanation of why he's not going to be a constant presence in your life anymore. So, do whatever feels right to you."

Regina sighed. "I don't know what feels right. What would you do?"

"I don't know. It's kind of an impossible situation. I would probably do what I suggested. Or maybe just lay low on social media and only post show-related stuff, or get rid of it all together for a little bit. If you're intent on announcing your split, then maybe just make a post that says you've been separated for a while so that it doesn't look like Robin cheated on you once people find out about he's going to be a dad again, and then say that you're getting divorced. You can say that you still care about each other and are putting your kids first and all the stuff that people typically say, and ask that people respect your privacy. Then leave it at that."

Regina nodded. "And what about us?"

"What about us?"

"Would you announce our relationship, if you were me?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think you're obligated to announce anything, at least not this early on in our relationship, and it kind of opens the door for more scrutiny, especially if you do it right after announcing your break-up. I'm not going to be offended if you don't tell people about us right away. I mean, if we're still together a year or two from now, then yeah I think it'll have to come out because I don't want to feel like we have to spend our entire lives pretending that we're just friends, but I don't need some big declarative statement anytime soon. I'd kind of prefer to keep the media from following me, at least until I get settled here with the new company. If you want to officially come out as soon as you make the announcement, because you feel the time is right for you, then you should…but you can do that without saying that you're in a new relationship, if you want. I'll support you regardless."

Regina sighed. "Maybe I will just take a break from social media…it might not be a bad idea to clear my head from all of it and lay low. But then again, part of me wants to post the photos of Mal and me from college and the video of us from the dance studio or take a selfie of us naked in bed and just be like 'hey guys, I like ladies, too. Peace.' just to put it out there and be done with the rumors."

Emma laughed. "Well, that would be one hell of a way to do it."

* * *

The foursome was seated on the second floor of Locksley Bistro later that afternoon. It was still early enough in the day that the upstairs area was not yet open to the public, which gave the two couples the privacy they needed to continue their conversation about next steps in the dissolution of Regina and Robin's marriage.

"Are you going to tell Gold about this?" Emma asked Regina when Gwen had excused herself to use the restroom.

"I don't want to, because I'm still not ready to talk to him after what happened with my mother, but I feel like I need to give him a head's up if there is any chance of keeping the network calm," Regina shrugged, picking at her nicoise salad. "I want to minimize the effect this will have on the cast and crew."

"I am really sorry about this, Regina," Robin said.

She sighed. "Seriously, Robin, please do not apologize to me anymore about this. We knew this would happen sooner or later." She looked up to see both Emma and Robin giving her a questioning look. "Okay, maybe not this exact situation since we assumed you were actually neutered, but eventually were going to split up and I'd have to announce it and brace for the inevitable impact. Your unexpected fertility just accelerated the process."

Gwen approached the table, scooting into the booth next to Robin. He quickly kissed her cheek before turning back to Regina. "So, are you sure you're okay with this? You don't want me to take the fall?"

Regina shook her head. "No. I don't want to risk any fallout on your businesses, or the press badgering Gwen. I think if we say that we split up back in early May but didn't want to publically announce it until it was finalized, that should work. That way, when people inevitably find out about Emma and me it won't look like I cheated on you, and if people find out about Gwen's baby, the timing is fine because she would have gotten pregnant six weeks after we split. We can just say it was mutual, no one cheated, and we hope to remain friends for the sake of our sons."

Robin nodded. "Okay."

"Uh, one problem," Emma interjected.

"What?" Regina and Robin both asked.

"All of the photos you've staged recently… at the Con when Robin came to visit, before he left for the camping trip, etcetera. How do you explain that if you say you decided to separate back in May?"

"Oh," Robin frowned. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Good point," Regina said as she worried her bottom lip. "Okay. Maybe we say we separated a while ago, but have tried to reconcile a few times to no avail and/or maybe we already had events scheduled that we both had to attend?"

"I'd believe that," Emma shrugged.

"Okay," Robin said. "So, we separated in March, maybe? Then we tried to reconcile but realized we are ultimately better as friends and are divorcing amicably?"

"Yes," Regina confirmed.

"Okay. So, when?"

"Well, I can call my lawyer this afternoon, but it should be a pretty quick process. Our prenupt was designed with this in mind, so it should be painless in terms of dividing assets. We just follow the requirements of Quebec, and call it a day," Regina said, eating more of her salad now that her appetite returned. She always liked having a set plan, and she had been anxious all afternoon.

Robin chuckled. "No, not when do get the divorce papers. When do we make the announcement?"

"Oh," Regina said, setting down her fork. "I'd like to do it soon so we don't drag this out anymore, and so you and Gwen can move forward with your lives. Maybe two weeks? I think it's better if I'm back on set at the time of the announcement, so that way I can keep myself busy with that and ignore the initial onslaught of comments that will come in, and so they will leave you alone back here. I also don't want to make it too soon after Emma leaves, because that will raise suspicion. If we wait too much longer though, Emma will be moving to Montreal, and if people do put two and two together, I don't want her getting hounded by the press while she's trying to get settled."

"Wait, you're moving here?" Robin asked, surprised.

"Oh, right, I haven't had a chance to tell you that," Regina smiled sheepishly. "A lot has happened this week."

"Yeah, a friend of mine has a dance company here and offered me a spot. It was too good of an offer to pass up," Emma said.

"Congratulations, Emma, that's wonderful!" Robin cheered as Gwen offered her congratulations as well.

"Thank you. I'm excited."

"When will you be moving?" Robin asked.

"The last week of September. I start rehearsals in early October."

"Oh, that's soon!" Gwen commented.

"Yeah. I have a lot to do before then," Emma said.

"Have you found an apartment yet?" Robin asked.

Emma shook her head. "Not yet. Regina and I looked yesterday for a bit, but didn't have much success."

"Well, if you need somewhere to crash while you're looking, there's plenty of room at our place," Robin volunteered.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Well, that was easy," she whispered to Emma before turning to Robin. "I had already volunteered you to play host. I just hadn't had a chance to tell you"

"Thank you, Robin," Emma said.

* * *

"It is really coming down out there," Gwen commented as she stood by the living room window, watching the sheets of rain pour down on the street below.

"It's a good thing you decided not to make the trip back this afternoon," Regina said, handing her a can of La Croix. Between the time they left Robin's restaurant and arriving back at the condo, the skies had opened up, and it had been pouring and thundering nonstop. Robin and Gwen had decided to stay and wait for the weather to clear before making the three-hour drive back to the campgrounds. They had all already watched one movie and now Emma and Robin were preparing dinner. It appeared they would most likely be staying the night, as the roads were starting to flood and the storm didn't show any signs of lightening up. "We haven't had a storm like this in years."

"Thank you for letting us stay," Gwen said, gratefully taking the water from Regina.

"Of course. It's Robin's house anyway, but you're always welcome here."

"Well, we do apologize for encroaching on your last night together," Robin called from the kitchen. "I'm sure there are things you and Emma would rather be doing than hanging out with us."

"It's fine," Regina said, sitting down at the island next to her girlfriend, who was peeling cloves of garlic. "We couldn't go out in this weather anyway, so it's a Netflix and chill kind of night regardless."

"Do you even know what that means?" Emma asked, raising her brow as she pushed the pile of garlic skin to the side.

"Of course I do. How old do you think I am?" Regina chuckled, nudging Emma with her shoulder. "I barely have five years on you."

Emma wrinkled her nose before quickly pecking Regina's lips. "Actually, it's closer to six, but fine."

"Well, don't let us stop you from any Netflixing and/or chilling," Robin winked as he took the peeled garlic from Emma, leaning closer to her as he lowered his voice. "By the way, Emma, I hear you liked my private movie collection."

"Oh, God," she blushed, burying her head in her hands before looking at Regina. "You seriously told him?"

Regina bit back a laugh. "He's my best friend…and I didn't tell him, I thanked him for leaving his porn so easily accessible," she replied, wrapping her arm around Emma's shoulder and pulling her toward her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

Emma tried to suppress a grin that was forming on her lips. "You both suck."

"Actually, from what I hear—" Robin started before Regina cut him off with a death glare.

"Don't even," she warned.

"Sorry," Robin said as he put his hands up defensively. "But just so I'm clear, my wife has amazing lesbian sex and I don't get to at least make a few jokes about it before the divorce is finalized?"

"Exactly," Regina confirmed. "Unless you want me talking to Gwen about a few things I know…"

"Okay, fair," Robin jumped in.

"Hold on, wait a second," Emma said, interrupting the soon-to-be divorced couple's spat. "Robin, did she actually use the word 'amazing'?"

"Goddammit," Regina said under her breath as she watched Emma smile at her.

"Indeed she did."

"Really," Emma said, looking smug.

"Don't look so surprised. I told you as much yesterday morning…and last night."

"Yeah, but it's different to hear it from someone else. In the moment, it doesn't carry as much weight, but knowing that it was worth mentioning to someone else…"

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't let it go to your head."

 ***.*.***

After a surprisingly pleasant dinner featuring Robin's homemade pizza, the two couples were sprawled out in the living room. Regina and Emma were lying on the sofa while Robin and Gwen were curled up together in the oversized arm chair, feet resting on the ottoman in front of them. Gwen was still processing all the information she had learned that day, but she seemed to become a little more comfortable as the evening went on and she watched the interaction between Regina and Robin. She was relieved to find that they really were just friends, and there was no spark between them. They all seemed to genuinely enjoy each other's company, once the initial awkwardness had passed, which was a good sign considering that they would all still be in each other's lives once the divorce was finalized. Robin had made it clear to everyone at dinner that Regina would still be heavily involved in Roland and Henry's lives, and both Emma and Gwen were supportive of that.

Regina looked over at Robin, who was lightly rubbing the back of Gwen's neck as they watched yet another episode of _Friends_. Eventually Robin looked up after he felt he was being watched, only to see his wife smiling at him. "What?" he asked innocently.

"Nothing. You just look really happy, and I'm glad you found that. You two seem to fit well together," she commented.

"I could say the same about you two," he smiled back, nodding toward Emma. She was absentmindedly playing with Regina's fingers, which were threaded through her own.

"Indeed," Regina said, bending down to kiss the top of Emma's head.

The blonde was so engrossed in the show that she wasn't paying attention to the conversation happening around her. "Wait, what?" Emma asked, looking up at her girlfriend when she felt she may have missed something important.

"You're pretty," Regina grinned in reply.

They continued to watch television and Regina tried to relax into the moment, but her thoughts were quickly brought back to the other big issue she had still yet to resolve: whether she would officially reveal her bisexuality after announcing her divorce, or if she wanted to stay closeted awhile longer. She still had issues with her contract and the network's politics to worry about. She had decided that she would lay low on social media, planning to only post show-related information and press for the next few months while she took ownership of her personal life out of the public's view. Despite taking a photograph of the four of them at lunch, Regina decided not to post it herself, instead simply "liking" the version Robin posted. They had agreed that he still needed to post it in case he was seen with Gwen before the divorce announcement, or shortly thereafter, but Regina had taken Emma's advice to immediately stop posting staged photographs on her accounts.

After texting her lawyer to draft up the divorce agreement, Regina decided to bite the bullet and contact Gold for the first time since the chaotic dinner party: _'FYI Robin and I have started the divorce process. We just found out that he got his girlfriend pregnant. He wants to be there for her and the baby, and I'm not about to get in the way of that. We're releasing a very short statement in a few weeks to announce our split, but we aren't going into detail about the situation.'_ She let out a sigh after sending the text, causing Emma to look up at her.

"You okay?" Emma asked quietly, earning a nod from Regina as the brunette handed her the phone so she could read the text she had just sent. "Oh," Emma nodded in understanding, offering a small smile and a supportive hand on her thigh.

Emma gave Regina her phone back just as the one-word reply came from Gold: _'Okay.'_ His short answer made Regina stiffen.

Emma felt the woman behind her tense, so she sat up on the couch and shuffled their positions, pulling Regina's legs across her lap and lightly massaging her calves and feet. "What is it?"

"Gold seems too fine with it. I'm worried about what he's going to do," Regina confessed.

"Maybe he's just trying to honor your wish to stay out of your life?" Emma suggested. "After all, you did threaten to sue him if he didn't," she smirked.

"Maybe. It's not like there's anything he can do to stop the divorce anyway," Regina conceded. "That feels nice, by the way," Regina replied as she closed her eyes, softly hissing as Emma dug her thumb into the arch of her foot. It was painful, but so needed after the abuse her feet had taken in heels all week. "You're really good at that."

"You learn these things after years of ballet," Emma laughed.

A few minutes later Regina heard her phone vibrate on the cushion next to her, and she sighed when she picked it up. "Here we go," she thought to herself as she read the text from Gold: _'Are you going to disclose your relationship with Miss Swan anytime soon? If so, I need to prepare the studio and network, so I would appreciate some warning.'_

She quickly typed back: _'I don't know. Not yet. I'm going to handle one major announcement at a time. I will give you a heads up if/when I do.'_

* * *

"Nothing will ever top that dinner party as the craziest day ever, but today was a close second," Regina said, pulling back the duvet cover and climbing into bed later that night.

Emma nodded in agreement as she leaned back against her pillow and turned her head toward Regina. "How are you feeling about it all now that you guys have a plan?"

"Relieved. And I can't thank you enough for being so supportive. I know this is crazy in its own way for you, too."

"It is, but I knew what I was getting myself into when I agreed to pursue this," Emma smiled. "You did warn me."

Regina leaned over to kiss her. "I know. But, I appreciate it nonetheless. I didn't expect it to spiral out of control quite this much."

Emma nodded as she took a deep breath. "There is one thing that I want to ask you…something that's been on my mind since you told me about Gwen yesterday, but I don't want you to take it the wrong way," Emma said as she readjusted herself, sitting up a little straighter and turning her body to face Regina.

"Okay…" Regina said, mirroring Emma's actions and sitting up, nervous for what Emma was going to say. When Emma took another deep breath but no words followed, Regina spoke up and grasped one of Emma's hands that was fidgeting in her lap. "Emma, you can ask me anything. If something's bothering you, please tell me."

"Okay…Part of me is wondering what would happen if Gwen wasn't pregnant. I know this was totally unexpected and I agree that you guys are making the right decision because there's a baby involved, but what if there wasn't? What if Gwen was just a random girl he met? Or what if she wasn't in the picture at all? Would you have stayed married to Robin until the show ended? What if the show ran for another five years?" Emma asked, realizing that she was rambling, but unable to stop herself.

"That's a fair question," Regina stated. "I mean, that was the plan when he and I entered into this arrangement, but neither one of us expected to seriously become involved with anyone else, either, because we weren't out looking for that. You and Gwen both caught us by surprise," she paused, choosing her words carefully. "But, plans change. I would want to be with you regardless of Gwen's involvement with Robin, and I would hope that I would have found the strength to make that happen."

"So, do you think that I might have been enough of a reason to end your fake marriage?" Emma asked hesitantly. "I mean obviously not now, but eventually?"

Regina pulled Emma's hand that she was still holding to her chest, keeping it pressed against her heart. She grasped it tightly between both of her own hands, as if she was terrified to let go. She looked Emma in the eyes as she spoke: "The baby forced our hands into making this decision, yes, but if you and I continued to develop our relationship the way we have been thus far, then yes. Honestly, I would not be ready for that quite yet, because this is still so new. But, even before finding out about Gwen and Robin and even before learning the truth about my mother's involvement in planning this charade, I was sick of living like this. I don't like having to hide who I am, or hiding the people I care about, or pretending to be in love with someone I'm not, especially because I don't want to hurt you. I know this can't be easy on you… Robin and I have been so focused on how to protect me from a scandal since you arrived here, so we haven't really talked about how this affects you. And for that, I am sorry."

Emma shrugged. "I've only been here a week, so it hasn't really yet, especially since I haven't even come out to anyone else yet. But it probably would have gotten to me eventually. And then when I saw how quick you were to let Robin go to Gwen, though, it made me wonder..."

"If I would ever walk away from the carefully crafted lie I built for you?"

"Yeah."

Regina bent forward and kissed Emma's forehead, brushing away a tear she could see forming in the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry if you ever felt like you weren't enough of a reason, Emma. Part of the reason I was so quick to let Robin off the hook was because I know that I've been the main beneficiary in this marriage, so it's not fair for me to force Robin to stay if he wants out. But if Robin didn't want to split up, it wouldn't have been fair to you, either, to make you stay in the shadows and ask you to go along with this for the foreseeable future. I would like to think that I would have realized that sooner rather than later. I know it's not the same as a divorce, but I was already starting to think about how to change the terms of my contract at work if I renew at the end of this season, so that they don't own me, and I could start to gain control of my personal life again. I care so deeply for you, Emma, and I hope that I wouldn't be stupid enough to do anything that would push you away. You're not just some fling for me. I've never been someone who finds it easy to jump into a relationship, which is why I was single most of my adult life, and even why I agreed to marry Robin — I honestly never expected to find someone who I would want to be with, so I figured I wouldn't be giving up anything by playing house with him. But then you came along…"

It was Regina's turn to tear up, and Emma leaned into her, placing a feather-like kiss on the corner of her lips. "Thank you, Regina."

* * *

 **A/N:** So, I would say that's quite a few giant steps forward, yeah? And Regina and Emma have finally had the conversation that has been the elephant in the room since they realized they were going to be seriously pursuing their relationship. Only one more chapter + an epilogue left!


	11. Chapter 11: The Final Day

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay in posting this. It's been written for awhile but I kept making tiny tweaks because I wasn't ready for this story to be over...I even went back and re-read _A Serendipitous Encounter_ and the entirety of this fic as a procrastination tool (Damn, there were a lot of typos lol). Also, please be sure to read the second author's note at the end of this chapter.

* * *

 ** _Day 9: August 28. 8am_**

Emma woke up the next morning when she felt long hair tickling her thigh and the touch of delicate fingers across her abdomen. "Mmm, Regina," she managed to say, as she felt the woman place a kiss to her inner thigh.

"Hmm?" the woman hummed from under the sheets, not pausing her ministrations as she let her fingers wander down Emma's hips.

"As much as I — oh — love this, your husband and his pregnant girlfriend are down the hall," she murmured as her hands instinctively found Regina's hair.

"Soon-to-be-ex-husband," Regina corrected, continuing her mission.

"Right…but you know — fuck— I'm not good at staying quiet," Emma said, her hips responding to Regina's touch, raising a few inches off the bed to let the brunette remove the fabric that was in her way.

"I know," Regina said, pulling the sheets down just enough so she could look up at the blonde, a smirk plastered to her lips as she continued to let her fingers tease the other woman. "So, don't be quiet. This is our last morning together for a while and I want to enjoy it. And more importantly, I want you to," she said, pulling the covers back over her head so she could focus on her goal.

*.*.*

When they descended to the main floor of the apartment forty-five minutes later and freshly showered, they found Robin and Gwen in the kitchen. The smell of bacon permeated the entire apartment, and there was a stack of pancakes and a pile of French toast sitting on the island. "I hope you're hungry," Robin said as the two women approached.

"I may have worked up an appetite," Regina said, subtly winking at Emma.

"I could eat," Emma replied, answering Robin.

"That's what she said," Regina laughed. Emma rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. You made it too easy."

"Anyway," Robin said, trying to steer the conversation back on track as he added two more pieces of French toast to the plate. "Gwen and I will be heading back to the campgrounds this morning."

"Okay," Regina said, grabbing a piece of bacon off the plate, only to have Robin lightly swat her hand with the spatula he was still holding. "What?"

"You're so impatient. It's still really hot."

Regina rolled her eyes as she bit into the piece of bacon in defiance, unsuccessfully trying not to wince when she burned her tongue.

"I would say 'I told you so', but I think you just did that for me," he replied smugly before turning to grab the pot of coffee.

They all moved to the dining room, full plates in one hand and coffee in the other. "I'm going to miss coffee," Gwen said as she sat down with her decaf tea.

"You'll get through it. It'll all be worth it in the end when we have a smiling, healthy baby in our arms," Robin smiled, leaning over to kiss her.

Regina reached over and took the mug of coffee that was sitting next to Robin's plate, setting it next to her own. "Why don't you give it up, too, in solidarity?" she suggested. "And alcohol as well, for good measure."

"Fine. It can't be that hard," he agreed. All three women immediately scoffed.

They ate their breakfast, letting the conversation flow freely between them. Gwen told Regina and Emma about her family's business running the campgrounds, including Roland's natural talent for archery. "Henry needs to work on his aim a bit, but Roland has a great eye," she said.

Regina smiled, happy that the kids seemed to like Gwen. Part of her felt a twinge of jealousy, but she knew that she couldn't let it get to her. She wanted her boys to be happy, so if they liked the woman who could become their step-mom one day, that should be a good thing. "It sounds like a lovely setup you guys have there."

"It is. I'm surprised you've never come up, considering how often Robin does."

Regina raised a brow. "Fake marriage, remember?"

"Right."

"Besides, he usually always goes with the guys, so I wouldn't want to intrude. Not to mention I'm not a big fan of sleeping on the ground."

"Well, we have cabins for rent, too, for those who prefer glamping to camping," Gwen said. "You two should consider it sometime. In the winter we have cross-country skiing and dogsleds, and the cabins are quite warm. Come up anytime."

Regina looked over at Emma, who shrugged. "I've never been camping…ever," the blonde said.

"Then, we might have to do that," Regina replied, before excusing herself when she heard her phone ringing in the other room. "I should check that."

A few minutes later she came back into the room, looking dejected.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Emma asked as Regina sat back down.

"That was my lawyer. Apparently Canadian law requires that we be separated for a year before we can get a divorce."

"Oh," Emma said, lightly rubbing Regina's back.

"Really, that long? Why did we not know that?" Robin asked.

Regina shrugged. "We didn't bother to ask, because that would've looked suspicious. I just assumed it would be quick and easy since we had the prenupt and we would still be on good terms."

"There's no way around the one year requirement?" Emma asked.

"Only in the case of abuse or adultery."

"Well…" Robin said, pointing between himself and Gwen and then Regina and Emma.

"I know, but I don't want to risk people finding out that's the reason for the divorce. I know the court records are sealed, but someone could leak it. And if we have a quick divorce, people would be able to figure out the reason it went through so quickly."

"Regina, I don't think the press or your fans are going to look into Canadian divorce law that closely," Robin said.

"Maybe, maybe not. But, there's a stipulation that if we approved of the adultery, we can't use that as grounds to speed up the one-year waiting period, anyway. With my mother and Gold knowing the full story, I don't want to take the chance that they might do something to get us into trouble for lying to the court, especially since our marriage resulted in me getting my permanent resident status sooner. I wouldn't put it past my mother to suddenly come forward and say it was all a fraud, though. Fortunately, that would be impossible to prove because it'd be their word against ours, but still."

"I sincerely hope Cora wouldn't do that, but if she does, we're prepared. We know everything about each other, and we've successfully portrayed a happy marriage to the media. We could convince the court that it was real, if it came down to that," Robin stated.

"How much proof of separation do you have to provide for the one-year requirement?" Emma asked.

"I'm going to talk to my lawyer more about that, but I think they take it at our word unless someone gives them a reason not to… Since Robin and I have separate rooms here, us still living together when I'm in town isn't necessarily a problem. And my lawyer said we are allowed to try to reconcile a few times without starting the year-long wait all over again, so we could use that as the excuse for why we've been seen together… we can just say we had to present a certain image to the public and weren't ready to announce anything yet. We still have the issue with my mother and Gold, if they decided the want to interfere and say that we are lying about our separation date, but it would be hard for them to prove that we haven't actually been separated. God, this is such a mess," Regina sighed, running her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"Can we just say we've been separated since last fall instead of March? Then we will have hit the one year period." Robin asked as he took a bite of his pancake.

Regina shook her head. "There are too many happy family photos from both Thanksgivings, Christmas and into January to believe that we would have truly been separated back then. We didn't see each other much anyway since I was filming nonstop from February until the end of April, and then I was traveling in Europe for conventions and press all throughout May, so technically we have been separated since March, from that standpoint. Our next public appearance wasn't until the New England con, so that could have been our first attempt at 'reconciliation,' and then the others were your restaurant's opening last month and then last week when Emma got here. Yeah, let's stick with March. It'll mean that our divorce will be finalized right around the time Gwen is due, so at least everything will be wrapped up by then. I wish it could be sooner, but I don't see a way that won't raise more questions and not break any more laws in the process."

"Okay. That's fine with me," Robin confirmed.

"Okay, good. I'll have my lawyer start the paperwork so we can be ready to formally file as soon as that one year mark hits."

 ***.*.***

As soon as the breakfast table was cleared and Robin finished putting the pots and pans he used in the dishwasher, he turned to Gwen. "Ready to head out? We should give those two some time to themselves since it's Emma's last day here," he said, wrapping an arm around her.

She nodded. "Yep. I'm ready whenever you are."

"Alrighty, we are going to head out," he called out to Regina, who was sitting with Emma in the living room. The two women rose from the couch and walked toward the kitchen.

"Thank you for making the trip out here to figure this out," Regina said, hugging Robin as he kissed her cheek.

"Of course. We'll get through it and everything will be fine," he smiled as he pulled back. "Enjoy your day."

"We will," she smiled sadly, the realization that after today she wouldn't see her girlfriend for at least another month.

As Regina turned to hug Gwen goodbye and thank her for being so cooperative, Robin turned to Emma and pulled her into a hug. "Keep an eye on her…make sure she's okay," he whispered so his wife wouldn't overhear him.

"Of course. And I'll ask you to do the same. You're back in two days, right?"

"Yep," he nodded as he released her from his embrace. "But I didn't mean today…I meant over the next few months as the press and her fans get wind of everything. I won't be able to be there for her, given the circumstances and us having to keep up the appearances of a couple going through a divorce. We can't look too friendly too quickly, and even though she likes to say she doesn't care what people say about her, it does affect her more than she lets on. I'm worried about how she'll respond to their comments and people prying into her life even more."

"I'll be there for her in any way I can," Emma confirmed.

"I know you will," he smiled. "You're really good for her, Emma. I'm glad she found you."

*.*.*

Regina awkwardly shifted her weight between her feet as she stood next to Emma. "Would you stop that? You're making me nervous," the blonde laughed from her place in the chair.

"Sorry," she replied as she stopped her movement and took a breath.

Emma looked up at her. "What has you so anxious? I'm the one signing a contract…one I happen to be very excited about," she smiled.

Regina returned the smile. "I know. I'm excited for you. And I'm not anxious…not really. I just have a surprise for you after this and I hope you'll like it and not get freaked out by it."

"Should I be scared?" Emma teased.

"I hope not," Regina answered.

Emma still sensed Regina's nervousness so reached up and placed a hand on her thigh, squeezing gently. "I'm sure I'll love it. Now, let me finish this up quickly so we can get to whatever has you bouncing around over there." She leaned over the desk and signed a few more forms, double-checking everything before turning to Lily, who was sitting quietly at the next desk over in the dance studio office. "Okay, here you go."

Lily smiled. "Excellent. Congratulations, Emma! We're so excited to have you," she said as she accepted the forms and pulled her former roommate into a hug. "Oh, and I have something for you. Follow me," she said after quickly filing Emma's contract and leading the women out of the room toward a storage room at the end of the hall.

It was the first day of the weeklong break between summer and fall dance class sessions, so the studio was empty, allowing Regina to be there without worrying about anyone seeing her. Emma had told her that Lily had figured out there was something going on between them, and even though Emma had not confirmed it, Lily had promised to keep her suspicions to herself. To her credit, Regina was impressed that aside from saying "hello" to her when she arrived with Emma, Lily hadn't made any comments about Regina's presence.

"Are you bringing us back here to kill us, Lil?" Emma chuckled as they entered the glorified closet of a room.

Lily flipped on the light switch, revealing bins of costumes, shoes, and office supplies. "Funny. No, I came to give you this," she said as she pulled out a canvas tote with the studio logo printed on the side and handed it to Emma. "Since you're officially a company member and teacher now, you need some swag," she explained as Emma looked through the bag. She pulled out a tank top, long sleeve tee shirt, and a baseball hat that all displayed the professional company's name. "We'll be ordering customized track jackets soon, too, but this should be enough to get you started."

Emma smiled. "Thanks, Lily. This is great," she said, quickly throwing on the hat as they walked back toward the front. She hugged her friend goodbye and verified that she would be showing up for her first rehearsal the first Monday in October. As they exited the studio to walk toward Regina's car, the brunette stole the hat from Emma's head and placed it on her own. "Hey!"

"What?" Regina feigned innocence. "It looks better on me, and I want to be a supportive girlfriend," she smiled.

Emma laughed as she got into the front seat of Regina's Benz. "So, are you going to tell me where we're going and why you were so nervous back there? You were like a kid before they have to get their booster shots."

Regina shook her head as she pulled out into traffic and started to expertly navigate the streets of Montréal. "No, it's a surprise."

 ***.*.***

"We're here," Regina said a few minutes later after she parallel parked her car on a side street ten minutes later.

"Where's 'here'?" Emma asked as she exited the vehicle. They were on a charming street that was paved with brick and lined with rowhouses, vintage walk-up apartment buildings, and a few standalone Victorian-style mansions.

"Just follow me and stop asking questions," Regina rolled her eyes playfully as she started walking down the sidewalk. She wanted to take Emma's hand, but it was the middle of the day and there were a lot of people around, so she knew she might be recognized. As much as she hated it, especially after their conversation the night before, she had to play it safe.

Emma followed Regina toward one of the rowhouses, confused when Regina stopped to pull out a key and unlocked the front door. She followed Regina inside, climbing the stairs to the second floor. "Seriously, what is this place?"

Regina chuckled. "I told you not to ask questions. Now, come on," Regina said as she approached a door at the top of the landing. She knocked, just in case, and then used another key to open the door.

"Are we breaking and entering?" Emma asked as she walked in.

"Yes. Because all burglars have keys and I need to practice for a new career in case Gold fires me," she rolled her eyes as she kicked off her shoes, causing Emma to follow suit.

The blonde took in her surroundings, as much as she could see from the foyer. The entryway had a small table, but what drew her attention was the accent wall covered in a modern black and white birch tree print. The rest of the place was long and narrow, but it was open concept. A cozy living room was the first thing she saw as she looked toward the back of the building, and beyond that was an exquisitely updated kitchen. She could see a terrace beyond the French doors at the back of the kitchen. The vintage building had been completely redone, but the original charm and character of it was preserved.

"What do you think?" Regina asked her.

"It's gorgeous. It looks like it should be an Airbnb."

Regina laughed as she walked farther into the home. "It is."

Emma furrowed her brow in confusion. "You rented an Airbnb when we only have a few hours before I have to be at the airport?"

The brunette smirked as she plopped down on the grey linen sofa. "Not exactly. This is my place."

"Wait, what?" Emma asked as she walked over to sit next to her girlfriend. "I'm confused."

"I bought a condo here about a year before _Frozen Mirror_ started, and I never sold it. At first, I hung onto it because I wasn't sure if the show was going to last more than a season or two, and then since I knew my marriage wasn't going to be a long-term thing, I figured it would be a worthwhile investment to keep. I hired a management company on a month-to-month basis to maintain it and rent it out as an Airbnb, but I can stop that at anytime. I know you weren't able to find a place when we went out the other day, so I thought you might want to stay here…it's probably bigger than what you would need since it's a two bedroom unit, but you can take it if you want. I have guests booked through the middle of October, so you would need to stay at Robin's place until then, but this can be yours after that. All the furnishings are mine, so it might save you some moving expenses, too, if you just want to sell your stuff and not schlep it all the way up here."

Emma was stunned, and so many questions popped into her mind that she wasn't sure where to start. "Won't you need it for when you're in town now that you and Robin are getting divorced?"

"Well yeah, but I'm usually only here for a few days at a time, and I would want to stay wherever you are anyway when I'm in town, assuming you'd want that, too."

"Of course I would," Emma smiled. "But Regina, this place is super nice. There's no way I can afford it."

"Emma, I wouldn't expect you to pay rent."

"No, Regina, I'm not squatting here for free. And that would cost you money since you've been renting it out. I don't want you to pay for me."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Actually it wouldn't really cost me anything. I have to pay the management company to take care of it when I'm not here, and with the exception of the short-term renters that are coming in later this week, this place sits unused most of the time, especially during the colder months when tourists aren't visiting Montréal. I'm lucky if I turn a profit on it — I barely break even most of the time. I just haven't sold it because I knew I would need it eventually, and I got it for a steal so I don't care if I lose money on it some years. The mortgage is completely paid off, so I only pay taxes, association fees, and utilities at this point, which is less than what anyone would pay to rent a place half this size anywhere else in town. You can cover those costs so you don't feel like you're freeloading, if you want" Regina explained.

"Regina, are you sure?" Emma asked as her eyes darted around the apartment, taking it in. It really was a beautiful home, and it screamed 'Regina' in the way it was designed. It made her smile when she thought about living someplace where she would feel Regina around her all the time.

"Of course I am. We should draft a formal lease agreement just to cover us both, but if you like it here, it makes sense for you to take it. It's a quick drive to your new studio, it's close to transit and things to do, and it's pet-friendly so Adagio can live here, no problem. There's also a detached garage out back, since I'm assuming you're bringing your bug with you."

"You're freaking amazing, do you know that?" Emma grinned, leaning in to kiss her girlfriend.

Regina smiled. "So, is that a yes?"

"It's a yes."

"Good. Now, how about a tour? Perhaps you'd be interested in seeing the master bedroom and making sure the mattress is to your liking?" Regina winked before jogging down the hall.

 ***.*.***

"God this sucks," Emma said as she dropped her head back against the headrest in Regina's car. They were parked in the loading zone drop-off lane outside the airport that night, after spending the afternoon and dinner hour in Emma's future apartment's bed, gloriously naked while eating pad thai from Regina's favorite takeout place up the street. Since Regina was staying in Montréal a few more days, she wouldn't be able to get past the security checkpoint, so they had to say their goodbyes in the car.

Regina reached across the console, lacing her fingers with Emma's. "I know, but it won't be that long...and if I get a break in my schedule, I can try to come to Maine before you move...maybe we can have one more vinyl night in your apartment before you go."

Emma looked over at her girlfriend, trying to blink away the tears that were forming in her eyes. "I still don't want to go yet. I wish I would have scheduled a later flight."

"Yeah, but you have rehearsal the day after tomorrow, and you need to time to ground yourself before that. The next month will fly by, Emma. You have a lot going on. You won't have time to miss me."

"That would be impossible," the blonde said. "Thank you for everything, Regina. I know this week was all kinds of crazy and emotional, but I had an amazing time with you."

Regina smiled sadly, leaning across the center of the car to kiss Emma. "You're welcome. I'm so glad you came." She paused awkwardly, not knowing what to say. She had never been in a relationship where she had to say goodbye to them for this length of time. "Do you need help with your bags?"

Emma shook her head. "No, I just have the one and my purse. Plus, you should probably stay in here so no one sees us together."

"Right," Regina said, squeezing Emma's hand in her own. "Sorry…I'm really bad at goodbyes."

"Well, it's not goodbye…not really," Emma said. "And we're Facetiming tomorrow, right?"

Regina nodded vigorously. "Yes. Absolutely," she leaned in for another kiss. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too,' Emma said as she reached to the floor of the car to pick up her purse and placed her hand on the door handle. She needed to head inside to give herself time to get through security. "And please call me if you need to talk…anytime," Emma implored, worried about the reality of everything from the previous 72 hours hitting Regina when she was finally alone with her thoughts. Despite Regina's apparent calmness, she was about to have a lot of life changes hit her all at once.

"I will, but don't worry about me, Emma. Robin and the kids will be back in less than two days, and I'm fine. I'm excited for you to move here, and to see you next month," she said, brushing a tear that had escaped from the corner of her eye. As she did so, her hand grazed the bill of the Emma's baseball cap she had put back on after their afternoon in bed. "Oh, don't forget this," she said, taking it off and handing it to Emma.

The blonde laughed, taking the hat and immediately putting it back on Regina's head, bending down to kiss her. "Keep it. You were right — it looks better on you."

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, this is the final chapter of the story...just a short epilogue left. Also, Canadian divorce law is confusing and kind of boring, but I wanted to try to be accurate since it would impact how the next year plays out for them (I did my best to try to research it, but I'm not Canadian, nor a lawyer. If any fine northern neighbors are reading this, feel free to correct any errors lol).

I have had a few requests to keep it going, and I really like writing this version of Regina and Emma and even though this particular fic is definitely over since it was centered around Emma's visit and the immediate outcomes from that, I'm not sure I'm finished with this universe yet. Personally, I kind of want to know what happens to them in the future. But, are you sick of this Regina and Emma? Or, do you want more?

So, my question is this: Since both the original fic and this sequel were only covering very short periods of time (5 days and 9 days, respectively), should I create a third installment that would be a handful of linear one-shots/ flash-forwards in this universe? (e.g., Regina's reaction the inevitable discovery of Robin's 'affair' and how Emma helps her through it, what happens if Cora 'accidentally' leaks the video footage she stole from Regina before Regina comes out, SQ's first "I love you", SQ's first real fight (and subsequent makeup), Regina's castmates finding out about Emma, Regina officially signing the divorce papers and Emma supporting her, Regina's public coming out, their first public event together, New England Comic-Con/their 1 year anniversary, them moving in together, etc? It would basically be 99% fluff.)

Let me know in the reviews or via PM. If I do write more, I would be happy to take prompts for one shots because my brain isn't that creative for scenarios other than what I just listed above, and if there's something you really want to see in this iteration of Emma/Regina, I'm happy to take a stab at it.


	12. Chapter 12: Epilogue

**A/N:** Well, here it is! This is the epilogue. Please make sure to read the note at the end, as it has some important info!

* * *

 ** _Two Weeks Later: September 18, 3pm_**

It was a surprisingly chilly afternoon in Storybrooke, Maine. It was that awkward period that lasted for approximately three weeks between the end of summer and the true beginning of fall when the temperature was unpredictable. Emma was seated at her kitchen island next to Killian, sipping hot chocolate as she looked around the loft. Most of her possessions were already boxed up, ready to be loaded up for the five and a half hour drive to Montréal four days later. She had already sold her loveseat and coffee table, and the sublettor asked if she would be willing to sell him her bed, mattress, dresser, and bar stools, to which she happily agreed — it would be five less things she would have to move or throw out. She was planning on giving Killian her flatscreen TV and the armchair he commandeered every time he came to visit as a parting gift. "I can't thank you enough for offering to help me move, Killian," she said as she took another sip of the hot cocoa. "There's no way this would have all fit into my bug, and hiring movers across country borders is expensive as hell." She didn't have a lot of boxes, as she was only taking her clothing and personal items, but it was more than would fit in her tiny car's trunk and backseat.

As soon as she told him she was going to move, Killian had volunteered to drive his SUV to Canada to help her schlep her belongings across the border. "Of course, Emma. Besides…I can't wait to see where you'll be living," he replied.

She smiled. "Well, I'm staying with a friend temporarily for the first few weeks, but once I get settled into my apartment, there's a guest room ready for you anytime."

"So are you nervous about starting over in Canada? It's kind of a big change," Killian asked.

She shrugged. "It is, but it's exciting. It's kind of like when we left the ballet world and New York to start our company here, except the company I'm joining is already established, so it's less risky, in a way. It will be a lot different, though. I'm not used to having to answer to anyone other myself…and you. It'll be weird not to be in charge."

"You'll be great," he smiled, nudging her with his shoulder as he finished his cup of tea and took it over to the sink to rinse it.

Emma bit her lip as she looked at her watch, and moments later her phone dinged with a new text notification. She smiled when she read the message from Regina.

"What has you looking so giddy?" Killian asked her. He had noticed a change in his best friend ever since she returned from her vacation in Montréal, but she refused to say anything more than she was excited for her new job opportunity. He had of course seen the social media photographs and videos of Emma and Regina while she was in Canada, but she had given him the same dance coach story, which he had readily believed. She had wanted to tell him the truth, but until Regina and Robin announced their pending divorce, she felt it wasn't her place to do so. The announcement still hadn't happened yet, so Emma was patiently waiting until the time she could tell Killian the truth about her relationship with the actress. Regina had told her that she could tell Killian anyway, but Emma decided to wait. She trusted Regina implicitly, but she also didn't want to jinx it.

"You'll see…eventually," Emma replied, trying to suppress her smile.

He raised an eyebrow in response just as someone knocked loudly on her door. "Expecting more company?" he asked her as she got up and went to the door, raising onto the balls of her feet to look through the peephole before opening it.

"Hey, there," Emma said as she pulled the door open, her back still to Killian as the guest entered the apartment. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as he watched his best friend get pulled into a fierce kiss, the visitor spinning her around until the blonde's back was pressed against the front door, slamming it shut. He couldn't tell who the mysterious guest was, as a baseball cap and Emma's hands on the person's cheeks shielded the face from his view, but he could see a short brown ponytail peeking through that back of the hat.

"Hey, yourself," the brunette said when they finally separated, letting Killian get a better view of the unannounced guest.

Emma chuckled as she cut her eyes over to her best friend, whose mouth was still gaping as a result of what he just witnessed. "Killian, you remember Regina, right?"

Hearing his name, he finally closed his mouth and tried to find his words. "Umm, yeah. But, umm….what?"

Regina laughed as her hand found Emma's, and she walked into the kitchen to sit on one of the bar stools. "It's nice to see you again, too, Killian."

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and smiled. "Lovely to see you, Regina. But, uh, care to explain what that was about?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at his best friend as he looked at the women's joined hands that rested on the counter.

"It's a _really_ long story, but Regina and I are…dating," Emma said, her voice testing out the word. Were they dating? She wasn't sure how to classify it, other than she was very happy.

"When did this happen?" Killian asked as he grabbed a beer from the fridge, holding up the bottle to silently ask Regina if she wanted one. She nodded and graciously took the bottle from him as she opened it and took a swig.

"Well, you know we started getting to know each other at Comic-Con, but then it progressed from there when I was visiting her last month," Emma explained.

"I knew there was more to that trip than you were telling me," Killian winked. "Now, don't take this the wrong way because you know I love you, but Emma, since when are you into women?"

Emma shrugged. "Since I met her, apparently. I had never given much thought to my sexuality before that, to be honest."

"Well, I'm happy for you, Swan," Killian smiled, but it quickly turned to a frown when he caught a glimpse of Regina's left hand holding the beer bottle as she brought it to her lips.

"What?" Regina asked self-consciously as she set the bottle down.

"Aren't you married?" Killian asked, eyeing the silver band that still rested on her finger.

"Ah," Regina nodded. "Yes…but we're getting divorced. We've been separated since March," she said, practicing the story that she knew she would have to tell a lot over the coming months. She knew Emma might tell Killian the whole story eventually, but she didn't want to get into it yet. Regina and Robin had agreed that because of the potential legal ramifications, they shouldn't tell anyone else the truth about their fake relationship, at least not until the divorce was finalized. And even then, only those they truly trusted and needed to know would find out, because there were still a lot of risks involved, both legally and professionally for both Robin and Regina. They had already informed Roland and Henry that they were going to get a divorce, but they weren't sure if they would ever tell them the full story. They were certainly too young to understand it at that time.

"Oh, okay," Killian nodded. "Well, I feel inclined to give my best friend speech."

Emma raised a brow. "You have a 'best friend speech'?"

"Indeed. I just haven't ever had to tell it since you've been single the entire time I've known you," he smirked. "Now, Regina," he started, and the woman in question sat up straight as she was being addressed, giving him her full attention. "As Emma's best friend, I feel it is imperative that I tell you all the horrible things about her, so you know exactly what you're getting yourself into if you insist on dating this one. Let's start with all her annoying habits..."

"Hey!" Emma protested, throwing a marshmallow at him, as it was the only thing within reach that wouldn't break. It hit him in the eye and she smiled.

"Nice aim," Regina smirked.

"No, seriously though, she's the best and if you hurt her, you will have to answer to me," he said.

"A man in ballet tights? I think I could take you," Regina goaded.

"Feisty, that one," he said to Emma.

"Indeed," she said, leaning over to kiss her girlfriend's cheek.

 ***.*.***

"Not gonna lie, I'm going to miss these," Emma said later that evening, taking a bite of the cheeseburger she had picked up from Granny's Diner for dinner. They were sitting on Emma's bed since she had already sold all her living room furniture and the bar stools and floor weren't conducive to relaxing. A Fleetwood Mac album was playing in the background, and Adagio was curled up by Emma's feet at the end of the bed.

"I'm glad I got to experience these. They're damn good," Regina said. She had requested the burgers that evening after having them the last time she came to town when she had surprised Emma shortly after Comic-Con, and Emma was happy to oblige her dinner request. "Do you think Killian will ever recover from his shock?" Regina asked, laughing as she remembered the look on his face that afternoon.

"Probably. That sure was one hell of a way to inform him, though," she winked. Killian had left a little while after Regina arrived, giving the two some alone time. Regina was only able to visit for less than 36 hours, as she had to be back on set in three days and wouldn't get a break for several weeks. But, she had wanted to visit Emma's place once more before she moved, given that the night they spent in the apartment during the Con was the night Regina started to realize that she was quickly falling for the blonde.

"Well, I figured it would be fun since I knew you hadn't told him yet," Regina smiled. "Plus, he probably enjoyed it. We're hot."

"Gross. That's my best friend. He's like my brother," Emma wrinkled her nose before growing serious. "How are you doing, really?"

Regina sighed as she threaded her fingers through Emma's, setting her empty food container aside and resting her back against the headboard. "I'm okay. We wrote a draft of the announcement a few days ago. Here," she said, pulling up the notes app on her phone and handing it to Emma so she could see it.

Emma read the short note before giving the phone back to Regina. "That's a nice statement," she said. "It sounds amicable and respectful."

"Yeah…so it's just a matter of deciding when to post it."

"Are you having any second thoughts?" Emma asked.

"No, of course not," Regina said without hesitation. "This is definitely the right decision for all of us, and I'll be relieved once it's done. I just am dreading the actual announcement process. I wish we could just jump forward a few months and bypass it all."

Emma nodded in understanding. "Have you decided when to do it? You were originally thinking sometime this week, weren't you?"

"Yeah. Robin thinks we should just get it over with, but I'm trying to decide if I really want to do it while I'm filming, especially since fans come to visit the set all the time. After thinking about it, I realized it might make the scrutiny worse if I do it when there will be an audience around me."

"Well, what are the alternatives?" Emma asked.

Regina shrugged. "I'm not sure there are any. I don't want to do it while I'm in Montréal because the media is worse, especially with Robin living there, too. So, it'll have to be sometime I'm filming. I think I just have to suck it up and do it and just deal with the chaos. I don't want to put it off much longer."

Emma rubbed her thumb across Regina's hand that was still holding hers before squeezing gently. "Your fans love you, Regina. And yeah, they love Robin, too, but they'll support you. They'll probably make comments about being sad that your marriage is over, but I don't think there will be any backlash, especially given the way you wrote the statement. I think they'll take their cue from you, so if you try to spin it in a positive way and say this is what's best for both of you, I'm sure they'll get over it. They just want you to be happy."

Regina smiled at that. "I'm actually afraid that I might come off as being too happy about my failed marriage," she said, kissing the blonde sweetly, "because I haven't been this happy in a while."

Emma returned the smile as she stole a kiss of her own, before returning to the Styrofoam container of greasy takeout in front of her, picking up the last of her fries. "Has Gold given you any more shit since you've been back on set? Have you heard from Cora at all?"

Regina shook her head. "Nothing but radio silence from my mother, which is terrifying in its own way. And not really much from Gold, thank God. He's not around that often since he mainly works from the studio's production offices writing and overseeing editing and all that, but he's been to set a few times over the past two weeks. I've been avoiding him as much as I can. He has gently reminded me of the various clauses in our contracts that basically dictate how we act in public and on social media, and how much the network and studio frown upon same-sex relationships, so I think that's his subtle way of telling me not to out myself. They can't fire me for being with you because that would be discrimination, but if I'm not careful with how I handle it, they could say that I'm violating my contractual agreement and do it that way. There's always a loophole."

"That sucks, Regina. I'm sorry you're in this position."

"I'm not…because the alternative would be not being with you, and that isn't remotely an option in my mind. But, I've already decided there is no way I'm signing the same contract again. If they want me back, they have to get rid of that clause. I don't want to hide who I am anymore," she said, wiping a tear that had formed in the corner of her eye. "And I don't want to hide you."

Emma placed her hand on Regina's cheek, brushing away another tear with her thumb before gently kissing her. "When are you done filming for the season?"

"Late March, most likely. So, it's not a crazy long time to wait, but it still feels like it is."

"You'll get through it. And whatever you need, I'm here. I'll support you 100 percent."

"Thank you," Regina said before she suddenly sat up straight and reached for her phone, quickly typing out a text. "Screw it," she muttered before taking a deep breath.

"What?" Emma asked, confused at Regina's sudden and slightly manic demeanor.

"I'm doing it now."

"Doing what now?"

"I just texted Robin to tell him I'm going to tweet out the statement. I want it done so I can stop stressing about that, at least."

"Oh…are you sure?" Emma asked, just as Regina's phone buzzed.

The brunette snickered as she read Robin's text: _'Are you sure?'_

"That's what Robin just asked, too," Regina explained when she saw Emma's questioning look. "And yes, I'm sure. No one knows I'm here except you and Killian, so that'll give me some time away from the public for the next day at least during the initial response, and the first few days of filming later this week I will be in the studio, so I won't be around fans until Monday when I'm filming outside again. This seems like the perfect time." She quickly typed back: _'Yes. You're right…we need to put this behind us. Rip off the Band-Aid.'_

The reply was instant: _'Okay…let me know if you need anything. Love ya.'_

 _'Love ya, too. And I'll be fine. I got to Maine this afternoon,'_ she quickly wrote back.

 _'Ah, good…have fun ;). Tell Emma I say hello,'_ Robin replied.

"Okay, here we go," she said, opening up the Twitter app and uploading the screenshot of the announcement she had showed Emma: _'This is a hard note to write, but we wanted you to hear it from us directly. Robin and I have been separated for nearly six months and have amicably decided that we will be ending our marriage. We will always care about one another deeply, but we have realized that we are better off as friends. We would like to thank you for your continued support over the years, and we ask that you please respect our privacy as we navigate the road ahead and the next phase of our lives. Xoxo, Regina'._ She typed out a quick caption, tagging Robin so he could easily retweet it: _'An announcement from 'RobinLocksley' and me.'_ She hit the "tweet" button, and then quickly cross-posted the screenshot of the note to her official Facebook page and Instagram account. "Okay, done," she said, letting out a breath as she set her phone aside, but not before quickly disabling notifications so she wouldn't see the influx of responses right away.

"How do you feel?" Emma asked, lightly rubbing Regina's forearm.

"Relieved, I think, like a weight has been lifted. A little anxious. Also, a little excited that I can finally be true to myself…or at least move in that direction," she smiled as she laid back on Emma's bed, lightly grabbing Emma's wrist and tugging her toward her.

Emma swung her leg until she was straddling Regina, bending down to graze her lips with her own. "I'm proud of you, Regina," she said between kisses. "You're taking back control of your life. And I meant what I said — I'll be here for you however I can be."

"I know. I appreciate that," she said, playing with the ends of Emma's long hair that fell past her shoulders. "I can't thank you enough for how supportive you've been, and for putting up with this."

"You're worth it," she said, shifting her weight to her elbows and resting them on either side of Regina's shoulders, allowing her body to rest on top of Regina's. "You deserve to be happy, Regina."

Regina ran her hand behind Emma's neck, pulling her down so their lips met once again. "I am."

* * *

 **A/N:** First, thank you so much for going on this journey with me, and for all the follows/favorites/reviews. Secondly, this is actually a different epilogue than what I had planned (originally, it was going to be 5-6 weeks into the future and Emma moving into her new place in Canada). But, given the response you guys had asking for another story, I decided to write a new epilogue to wrap up the Storybrooke story and instead the original epilogue will be posted in just a few minutes in a new fic, starting the story of Emma's new life in Montréal and Regina's life separated/divorced from Robin. Some of you asked for a multi-chapter fic rather than a bunch of one shots, so it's going to kind of be a combo of the two. The chapters will each be able to stand on their own as one shots, but they will build on the events of the previous one/the first chapter will be setting up for things that will happen 3-4 chapters into the future. They're essentially linear snapshots of the major events over the next year or two for these two women. So, if you're interested in learning what happens now that Regina and Emma are free to explore this new chapter in their lives, then click on my username to go to my profile and check out my new fic "A New Exploration."


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